| In the context of worldwide water scarcity, this dissertation uses Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Zepeda and Deal's (2009) Alphabet Theory, to examine the role of psychometric factors and contextual variables in explaining water conservation behavior. Additionally, the author hypothesizes that ownership structure influences consumers' trust in the water utility, attitudes towards water conservation, and water conservation behavior. Specifically, it is hypothesized that cooperative members trust their water utility more, have a greater sense of conservation responsibility and report less water use compared to IOF and municipal utility customers. Data was gathered from a large municipal water utility in Wisconsin for a pilot study, and from three large water utilities in Los Angeles County---one municipal, one cooperative and one investor-owned for the main study. Findings suggest self-reported water conservation behavior is not associated with actual water use. However, trust in the water utility is positively related with self-reported water conservation behavior and inversely related with total water use. The author also found that ownership structure influences trust in the water utility and water responsibility attitudes. Cooperative members trust their water utility more, but have a lower sense of responsibility to conserve compared to municipal or investor-owned firm (IOF) customers. Although, ownership structure did not directly influence self-reported water conservation behavior, the study offers support for Alphabet Theory and TPB, and also introduces ownership structure (specifically cooperative ownership) into the water behavior equation as a contextual variable that has an indirect effect on self-reported water behavior. |
