Premium
Outreach Preferences for Water Resource Information from Extension and Other Sources
Author(s) -
Gholson Drew M.,
Boellstorff Diane E.,
Cummings Scott R.,
Wagner Kevin L.,
Dozier Monty C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
natural sciences education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2168-8281
DOI - 10.4195/nse2018.01.0001
Subject(s) - outreach , landscaping , resource (disambiguation) , water conservation , geography , business , environmental planning , dissemination , water use , environmental resource management , water resources , socioeconomics , political science , economic growth , sociology , environmental science , ecology , economics , computer network , computer science , law , biology
Core Ideas This study assessed outreach effectiveness and audiences’ preferences for learning about water issues. This study evaluates possible trends in preferences for information sources related to socio‐demographic variables. Random sample survey of Texans to evaluate citizen awareness, attitudes, and willingness to act on water issues. This study assesses outreach effectiveness for particular populations and audiences’ media preferences for learning about water issues and examines preferences for additional information on particular water resource topics, including possible trends in information sources related to socio‐demographic changes from 2008 to 2014. City and municipal water districts reached the greatest number of people with 68.2% of those surveyed and 73.9% of respondents living within city limits ( p < 0.0001) receiving water information from these sources. Protecting drinking water supplies (57.4%) and water management for home and garden landscaping (55.8%) were the water resource topics of greatest interests to respondents. Interest in the home and garden landscaping topic increased from 34.1% in 2008 to almost 60% in 2014. This study reports water resource topical areas of greatest interest and preferred methods for reaching various demographic groups, including the growing urban sector. This information is critically important to financially limited organizations disseminating water resource information, including extension, environmental agencies and groups, and cities and water districts, as they seek to efficiently encourage the public to adopt appropriate water resource management and water conservation practices.