Exploration of public stereotypes of supply-and-demand characteristics of recycled water infrastructure- Evidence from an event-related potential experiment in Xi'an, China

There is a growing consensus that recycled water, as an alternative and renewable water source, can serve as a vital water supply to alleviate water scarcity problem and in support of water resilience. Accordingly, recycled water infrastructure investment has seen a significant growth in recent years in many regions of the world. However, previous studies found the perceptions of public, the main end user, toward using recycled water for potable or non-potable purposes remain negatively stereotyped. The negative stereotypes led to public rejections to the construction and operation of recycled water infrastructure. Traditionally, public perceptions of recycled water uses are captured through self-reporting interview or survey techniques. To gain a more accurate mea-surement of the implicit public stereotypes toward recycled water uses, this study employed an event-related potential (ERPs) technique to collect neurophysiological responses with participants and presented a few research findings. Firstly, the negative stereotypes of recycled water still exist. Secondly, the degree of human contact impacts the negative stereotypes of participants toward recycled water uses more significantly on the supply side (referring to the whole supply chain of recycled water) rather than on the demand side (referring to the potential consumers of recycled water) Third, knowledge level significantly impacts the negative stereotypes of participants toward recycled water uses that have close human contact, at both supply and demand sides, and shows a more significant impact on the supply side. The findings of study contributed to the literature through creatively dividing the negative stereotypes of recycled water into the supply-side and the demand-side ones, and meanwhile have managerial implication for policymaking and scheme implementation in the area.

Automated summary

There is a growing consensus on the importance of using recycled water as an alternative and renewable water source to alleviate water scarcity problems. However, public perceptions towards recycled water use are still negatively stereotyped, leading to public rejections towards recycled water infrastructure. This study found that negative stereotypes of recycled water still exist, and the degree of human contact and knowledge level significantly impact these negative stereotypes.