Predicting Water Conservation in Communities Around Mountains: Testing the Theory of Planned Behavior and Past Experience Variables

Abstract

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) plus experience with extreme weather events (EWE) was used to predict water conservation intention and behavior in understudied communities living near glaciers. The sample included 2026 participants from communities in southern Peru. The results show that TBP + EWE explained 23.4% of the total variance of the intentions to conserve water (age, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, EWE significant predictors). EWE significantly moderated the effect of attitude on intention, with attitudes only significantly predicting intention at moderate and higher levels of EWE. TBP + EWE explained 10.2% of the variance in self-reported water conservation behavior (gender, age, intentions, attitudes, subjective norms significant predictors). EWE did not significantly moderate the effects of any predictors on behavior. Implications of the findings on community water conservation intentions and behavior, as well as future lines of research, are discussed.