Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, School of Management, Xi'an, 710055, China; Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, Laboratory of Neuromanagement in Engineering, 710055, China.
University of South Australia, Business, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.
J Environ Manage. 2022 Nov 15;322:116103. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116103. Epub 2022 Sep 5.
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 measurement 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.
越来越多的人认为，再生水作为一种替代和可再生的水源，可以作为一种重要的供水来源，以缓解水资源短缺问题，并支持水的弹性。因此，近年来，世界许多地区的再生水基础设施投资都有了显著增长。然而，之前的研究发现，公众作为主要的最终用户，对将再生水用于饮用水或非饮用水的看法仍然存在负面的刻板印象。这种负面刻板印象导致公众反对建设和运营再生水基础设施。传统上，公众对再生水用途的看法是通过自我报告的访谈或调查技术来捕捉的。为了更准确地测量公众对再生水用途的隐含刻板印象，本研究采用事件相关电位（ERP）技术来收集参与者的神经生理反应，并提出了一些研究结果。首先，再生水的负面刻板印象仍然存在。其次，人类接触的程度对供应方（指再生水的整个供应链）而非需求方（指再生水的潜在消费者）的参与者对再生水用途的负面刻板印象的影响更为显著。第三，知识水平显著影响参与者对有密切人类接触的再生水用途的负面刻板印象，无论是在供应方还是需求方，并且对供应方的影响更为显著。这项研究的结果通过创造性地将再生水的负面刻板印象分为“供应方”和“需求方”，为文献做出了贡献，同时为该领域的政策制定和方案实施提供了管理启示。
