CIVIC-PG Track B: Reducing disparities in drinking water access by rebuilding consumer confidence in municipal tap water

此前的研究表明，商业用水量的上升反映出美国人对政府提供安全饮用水的信任度下降。这项研究通过考察亚利桑那州得梅因低收入少数群体越来越多地使用瓶装水来应对消费者信心危机，尽管商业水比自来水更昂贵、监管更少、对环境的破坏更大。该项目测试了一种假设，即低收入少数群体倾向于青睐商业用水产品，而不是市政水源，这源于对政府提供安全自来水的不信任。还涉及审查商业水部门营销材料的影响，以及它们传达的关于公众对市政自来水安全的看法的信息。了解低收入少数群体商业用水增加的动态对公共健康有影响，给低收入消费者带来更大的财政负担，并增加获得饮用水这一基本资源和人权的差距。这项研究使用了一种创新的跨学科合作伙伴关系，包括学术研究人员、公共服务提供商以及得梅因地区低收入和各种少数民族社区居民的意见。目标是了解低收入和少数族裔社区对公共自来水安全和质量的看法和关切；公共服务的可信性，在这里是得梅因自来水厂。研究问题包括：(1)历史上被边缘化的社区内自来水不信任的来源是什么；(2)不信任的来源在不同的人口群体(如非裔美国人、西班牙裔、移民、低收入者)之间有何不同；(3)如何在历史上被边缘化的群体中重建消费者信心；以及(4)可以实施哪些干预措施来建立信任以及谁应该提供信任：公共工程办公室、独立政党或基层社区领导人。这项工作的更广泛影响包括改善低收入社区获得低成本、高质量饮用水的机会，增加对公共市政服务的信任，以及建立对公共服务信任的有效机制。该项目的更广泛影响包括降低低收入和少数族裔社区安全、高质量饮用水的成本，以及重建对公民基本资源提供者的信任。如果成功，这个项目中所学到的经验教训和干预措施可以推广到其他有类似公共服务信任问题的社区。该项目的总体目标是确定和实施干预措施，以重建对市政饮用水供应商的信任。它涉及设计和实施干预措施，以增加消费者信心和公共服务消费，最终缩小种族、族裔和低收入群体与富裕的非西班牙裔白人人口之间的服务消费差距。这项工作的中心假设是，针对种族、民族和低收入群体的干预措施将改善这些群体对公共服务的看法。利用定性和定量的数据，我们将进行初步的人口统计学分析，以了解公民合作伙伴的消费者基础中当前的饮用水行为，并采访社区利益相关者，以了解他们对自来水和商业用水习惯的看法和担忧。这些任务将为旨在提高消费者信心的干预措施的发展提供信息。该项目是对公民创新挑战计划的回应-轨道B-弥合基本资源与服务和社区需求之间的差距-是NSF、国土安全部和能源部的合作。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Previous studies have shown that the rise in commercial water consumption reflects an erosion in Americans’ trust in government to provide safe drinking water. This research addresses this crisis in consumer confidence by examining the increasing use of bottled water by low-income minority populations in Des Moines IA even though commercial water is more expensive; less regulated; and more environmentally damaging than tap water. The project tests the hypothesis that the propensity of low-income minority populations to favor commercial water products, over municipal sources, is rooted in distrust of government to provide safe tap water. Also involved is examining the impact of commercial water sector marketing materials and the messages they send with regard to public perceptions of the safety of municipal tap water. Understanding the dynamic of increased commercial water use by low-income minority populations has implications for public health, places a greater financial burden on low-income consumers, and increases disparities in access to drinking water which is an essential resource and human right. This research uses an innovative and interdisciplinary partnership that involves academic researchers, public service providers, and input from residents in low-income and various minority communities in the Des Moines area. Goals are to understand low-income and minority community perceptions and concerns about the safety and quality of public tap water; trustworthiness of public services, in this case the Des Moines Water Works. Research questions include: (1) What is the source of distrust in tap water within historically marginalized communities; (2) How does the source of distrust vary from one demographic to the next (e.g., African American, Hispanic, immigrant, low-income); (3) How can consumer confidence be rebuilt among historically marginalized groups; and (4) What interventions can be implemented to build trust and who should deliver them: public works offices, independent parties, or grassroots community leaders. Broader impacts of the work include improved access to low cost, high quality drinking water for low-income communities, increased trust in public municipal services, and effective mechanisms for building trust in public services. Broader impacts of the project include lowering the cost of safe, high quality, drinking water for low-income and minority communities and rebuilding trust in civic essential resource providers. If successful, lessons learned and interventions used in this project can be scaled and translated to other communities with similar public service trust issues.The overall objective of this project is to identify and implement interventions that rebuild trust in municipal drinking water providers. It involves designing and implementing interventions that increase consumer confidence and consumption of public services, ultimately reducing disparities in service consumption between racial, ethnic and low-income groups and affluent, non-Hispanic white populations. The central hypothesis of the work is that interventions targeting racial, ethnic, and low-income groups will improve these groups’ perceptions of publicly provided services. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we will conduct initial demographic analyses to understand current drinking water behavior among the civic partner’s consumer base and interview community stakeholders to understand their perceptions and concerns about tap water and commercial water consumption habits. These tasks will inform the development of interventions meant to increase consumer confidence.This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track B. Bridging the gap between essential resources and services & community needs—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.