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Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to characterize factors that predict tap water mistrust among Phoenix, Arizona Latinx adults. Participants (n = 492, 28 ± 7 years, 37.4% female) completed water security experience-based scales and an Adapted Survey of Water Issues in Arizona. Binary logistic regression determined odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the odds of perceiving tap water to be unsafe. Of all participants, 51.2% perceived their tap water to be unsafe. The odds of mistrusting tap water were significantly greater for each additional favorable perception of bottled compared to tap water (e.g., tastes/smells better; OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.50, 2.50), negative home tap water experience (e.g., hard water mineral deposits and rusty color; OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.56), use of alternatives to home tap water (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.51), and with decreased water quality and acceptability (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.45; P < 0.05). The odds of mistrusting tap water were significantly lower for those whose primary source of drinking water is the public supply (municipal) (OR = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.63) and with decreased water access (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.48, 0.66; P < 0.05). Latinx mistrust of tap water appears to be associated with organoleptic perceptions and reliance on alternatives to the home drinking water system.
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“Nudge or Sludge? An In-Class Experimental Auction Illustrating How Misunderstood Scientific Information Can Change Consumer Behavior.
Scientific information can be used to help people understand and describe the world. For example, consumers regularly seek out information about their food and drink to help inform their purchasing decisions. Sometimes, however, consumers can respond negatively to this information, even when the information did not intend to convey a negative signal. These negative responses can be the result of misunderstandings or strong, visceral, emotional behavior, that can be challenging to foresee and once arisen, difficult (and expensive) to mitigate. In this paper, we show how educators can use an in-class economic experiment to introduce the power of a sludge—a small behavioral intervention that leads to worse outcomes. We provide a step-by-step guide to take students through a demand revealing design using a second-price, willingness-to-accept (WTA) auction that tests preferences for tap water and bottled water when students receive total dissolved solids (TDS) information. Additional classroom discussion topics are presented, including comparing nudges and sludges, the public response to the treatment of tap water, and the role of safety information in consumer response.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1757353
- PAR ID:
- 10333425
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied economics teaching resources
- ISSN:
- 2688-5999
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.320046
