Citizen attitudes and water
quality improvement
Presenter: Emma Fox
Maine Sustainability and Water Conference 2016
2015 NEST Coastal Resident Pilot Survey
Coastal Resident Pilot Survey
(online)
Coastwide Resident Survey
(U.S. Postal Mail)
The coast is where we live, recreate,
and harvest our seafood. Our
behavior on the coast impacts
water quality.
In addition to giving us a more holistic
view of the barriers to water quality
improvement, attitudes give us way to
gauge program support and target
messages to coastal communities to
make coastal issues more salient
In addition to giving us a more holistic
view of the barriers to water quality
improvement, attitudes… give us a
way to gauge program support and
target messages to coastal
communities to make coastal issues
more salient
Coastal
Attributes
Sense of
Personal
Responsibility
Coastal
Activities
Contaminated
Runoff
What may contribute to poor
coastal water quality?
Fertilizer, pesticide, or
chemical runoff
Industrial pollution
Leaky septic systems
Animal waste
Contaminated
Runoff
“I grew up on an island off the coast
of Maine, my entire family relies on
the coast to make a living. This
subject is very near and dear to my
heart.” –Maine Resident
Sense of Personal
Responsibility
In addition to giving us a more holistic
view of the barriers to water quality
improvement, attitudes give us a way
to gauge program support and target
messages to coastal communities to
make coastal issues more salient
Coastal
Attributes
Sense of
Personal
Responsibility
Coastal
Activities
Contaminated
Runoff
Would you be willing to contribute
to improve coastal water quality?
Fee
Sociodemographics:
age,
education
Sense of
Personal
Responsibility
Contaminated
Runoff
67.9% of
respondents in our
survey said yes
0
2
12.8
12.3
20
5
7
Fee
10
15
73.8
80
69.7
58.8
52.6
47.4
60
87.2
87.7
100
Yes
41.2
30.3
26.3
40
Percent
Program Support
No
20
In addition to giving us a more holistic
view of the barriers to water quality
improvement, attitudes give us a way
to gauge program support and target
messages to coastal communities to
make coastal issues more salient
Linking residents with
resources
Contaminated
Runoff
Appeal to
personal
responsibility
Solving
septic
system issues
Raising awareness about livelihoods
impacted by growing area closures.
Much like perceptions, attitudes can
help “ensure the support of local
constituents thus enabling the longterm success of conservation.”
(p. 2, Bennett, 2016)
Thank you!