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The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape
The effects of accelerating climate change are already being felt globally. Sub-Saharan Africa is at high risk of extreme hydrological events, and increasingly severe and frequent droughts pose a threat to water security in the region. As the impacts of climate change are expected to increase, it is...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613174245621760 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Tredoux, Aimée |
| author2 | Pasquini, Lorena |
| author_browse | Pasquini, Lorena Tredoux, Aimée |
| author_facet | Pasquini, Lorena Tredoux, Aimée |
| author_sort | Tredoux, Aimée |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The effects of accelerating climate change are already being felt globally. Sub-Saharan Africa is at high risk of extreme hydrological events, and increasingly severe and frequent droughts pose a threat to water security in the region. As the impacts of climate change are expected to increase, it is important to promote adaptation to drought events by studying the factors that can influence water saving behaviour. The present work studied how three categories of risk perception determinants namely values, social norms and affect, influenced water scarcity risk perceptions and water saving behaviour during the Western Cape drought of 2014-2017 in an urban population living in formal housing in the City of Cape Town. The outcomes of this study are two-fold. Firstly, this research provides evidence for the usefulness of a conceptual framework rooted in risk perceptions literature for understanding how affect, social norms and values fit together with risk perceptions to explain pro-environmental (water saving) behaviour. Secondly, the findings add to the literature on risk perception determinants, water scarcity risk perceptions, and water saving behaviour by showing that fear, self-transcending values, hedonism, and descriptive and prescriptive norms were important factors in shaping water scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviour during the drought. In future drought contexts, the revised framework and the risk perception determinant findings could be drawn on to help understand how values, social norms and affect interact with water scarcity risk perceptions to influence water conservation behaviour. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41383 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:56.645Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| publisherStr | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41383 The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape Tredoux, Aimée Pasquini, Lorena Enqvist, Johan Steynor, Anna Jack, Christopher climate change The effects of accelerating climate change are already being felt globally. Sub-Saharan Africa is at high risk of extreme hydrological events, and increasingly severe and frequent droughts pose a threat to water security in the region. As the impacts of climate change are expected to increase, it is important to promote adaptation to drought events by studying the factors that can influence water saving behaviour. The present work studied how three categories of risk perception determinants namely values, social norms and affect, influenced water scarcity risk perceptions and water saving behaviour during the Western Cape drought of 2014-2017 in an urban population living in formal housing in the City of Cape Town. The outcomes of this study are two-fold. Firstly, this research provides evidence for the usefulness of a conceptual framework rooted in risk perceptions literature for understanding how affect, social norms and values fit together with risk perceptions to explain pro-environmental (water saving) behaviour. Secondly, the findings add to the literature on risk perception determinants, water scarcity risk perceptions, and water saving behaviour by showing that fear, self-transcending values, hedonism, and descriptive and prescriptive norms were important factors in shaping water scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviour during the drought. In future drought contexts, the revised framework and the risk perception determinant findings could be drawn on to help understand how values, social norms and affect interact with water scarcity risk perceptions to influence water conservation behaviour. 2025-04-10T09:55:21Z 2025-04-10T09:55:21Z 2024 2025-04-09T12:16:05Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41383 en eng application/pdf Department of Environmental and Geographical Science Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | climate change Tredoux, Aimée The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape |
| title_full | The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape |
| title_fullStr | The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape |
| title_short | The role of values, norms and affect in relation to water-scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the Western Cape |
| title_sort | role of values norms and affect in relation to water scarcity risk perceptions and water conservation behaviours in the western cape |
| topic | climate change |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41383 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tredouxaimee theroleofvaluesnormsandaffectinrelationtowaterscarcityriskperceptionsandwaterconservationbehavioursinthewesterncape AT tredouxaimee roleofvaluesnormsandaffectinrelationtowaterscarcityriskperceptionsandwaterconservationbehavioursinthewesterncape |