Summary Public awareness and perceptions of the role water plays in their lives and in the environment can affect how people vote to support candidates, taxes/assessments, and bond issues. It is both important to keep the public informed to support democracy and to track their knowledge and perceptions in order to develop policies and management actions. General Information Sustainability Goal Goal 1. Manage and make decisions about water in a way that integrates water availability, environmental conditions, and community well-being for future generations. Domain Public understanding and support for public policies and investments in water system is an important part of water sustainability, supporting the domain of Adaptive and Sustainable Management. What is it? A common practice among sustainability indicator systems is to measure public awareness and support for environmental protection. This can be measured in several ways, including knowledge of environmental issues, expenditures to support the environment, and voting for pro-environment measures. When people have knowledge, they are more likely to take demonstrable action in support of environmental protection. The public expects clean and readily-available water. Their expectation is usually that this public resource will be provided through state and local agencies, using public funds and based on policies that maintain the resource in trust. Measuring public understanding and support for water management and water policies is one proxy measure for how well state and local agencies are stewarding public trust resources. The indicator relates to two proposed indicators in the Sustainability Indicators Framework: 6.A Level of support or opposition for environmental measures, such as statewide bonds and local environmental regulation (% of population) When voters show up to support (or disapprove) environmental measures, they are consciously changing public direction and potentially charging themselves through taxation or fees. When votes are for environmental measures, this is a direct measure of public support for stewardship and protection. 6.H Public awareness of source water protection A common practice among sustainability indicator systems is to measure public awareness and support for environmental protection. This can be measured in several ways, including knowledge of environmental issues, expenditures to support the environment, and voting for pro-environment measures. When people have knowledge, they are more likely to take demonstrable action in support of environmental protection. Why is it important? A high proportion of the state’s water policies and management actions revolve around public-obligation bond measures to repair or build infrastructure. In order for these actions to be supported, the public needs to both understand current conditions and feel like actions intended to mitigate risks address their concerns. For issues that seem contentious (e.g., climate change impacts) or that may be particularly expensive, public education and polling may drive timelines and potential solutions for these issues. What can Influence or Stress Condition? As people become aware of problems and policies related to water sustainability they are more likely to have an opinion. This is relevant to agencies and policy-makers because they may require (e.g., for bond measures) or appreciate public support. One phenomenon that may be influential on the outcomes of specific questions or polls on water sustainability is recent and severe events such as drought, flooding, and exceptional die-offs of valued fish, such as salmon. Basis of Calculation and Use Respondents to the surveys on water issues were asked to state their preferences on scales that ranged from strong concern to no concern for potential risks and strong support to disapproval for particular water policies. In general, the desired condition was assumed to be low or no concern about risks to approval for water-protecting policies to mitigate risks to water supply and natural systems. Target or Desired Condition Three metrics were scored for condition: 1) Problems with current water supply; 2) Problems with future water supply; and 3) Risk of drought because of climate change. 1) Problems with current water supply The desired target condition was that the public did not think that there were problems with their water supply. The undesired condition was that the public thought there were big problems with the current water supply. Scores were calculated using the following equation: Score = 100-(% respondents stating “big problem” + 0.5 X % respondents stating “somewhat of a problem”) 2) Problems with future water supply The desired target condition was that the public thought that there their future water supply would be adequate. The undesired condition was that the public thought their future water supply would be inadequate. Scores were calculated using the following equation: Score = 100-(% respondents stating “very inadequate” + 0.5 X % respondents stating “somewhat inadequate”) 3) Risk of severe droughts because of climate change The desired target condition was that the public were not concerned about severe droughts in response to climate change/global warming. The undesired condition was that the public was very concerned about severe droughts in response to climate change/global warming. Scores were calculated using the following equation: Score = 100-(% respondents stating “very concerned” + 0.5 X % respondents stating “somewhat concerned”)
