Persuasive information campaign to save water in Universities: An option for water-stressed areas?

Abstract

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) experienced three years of drought, which necessitated the implementation of water demand management strategies by one of the universities in CoCT to reduce water consumption. This study used persuasive system (persuasive information campaign (PIC) disseminated to students using Short Messaging Service (SMS), email and both SMS and email) in three residences and tested its effectiveness in increasing students' intention to save water. The extended Theory of Planned Behaviour and Partial Least Square Path Modelling were used for data collection and analysis. The factor loading showed that students who received the PIC by both SMS and email were the most persuaded to increase their intention to save water. Overall, PIC significantly influenced students' attitude towards water-saving, and students' attitude was the strongest predictor of intention to save water. This study highlights the importance of persuasive system in encouraging the sustainable use of scarce natural resources.