ATTITUDES TOWARD WATER POLLUTION CLEAN-UP AMONG TARGET AUDIENCES
Neat Neighbors remain the most compliant residents in the sense that more than six-in-ten of them (63%) are willing to change their behavior in order to make a difference in the quality of runoff water.
- Nearly all Neat Neighbors are willing to change any of their behaviors for the sake of cleaner water.
- They are, however, somewhat more resistant now than in 1997 to not washing their cars in the street and giving up fertilizer completely – behaviors that were intentionally not a focus of the campaign.
- This reflects the campaign’s decision to de-emphasize car washing as a focus of the program.
- Neat Neighbors are willing to pay for water clean up and/or participate in community events to achieve cleaner water.
Fix It Foul-Ups have shown the most significant change in attitudes over the past five years.
- While only one-third of them were willing to make changes in their habits in 1997, fully half of them now say they are willing to make concessions.
- While more are willing to prevent runoff from washing their cars, they are less likely now to cut down or stop using pesticides or cut down on their use of fertilizer.
- This suggests that, for Fix It Foul-Ups, these activities will likely not be given up without suggestions offered for suitable and effective alternatives.
- Fix It Foul-Ups are more inclined to participate in community clean-up events than to pay for the County to clean up the environment.
Only about one-third of Rubbish Rebels say they are willing to change their bad habits.
- An overwhelming majority (96%), however, would be willing to carry their trash until they found a trash can – littering being one of the worst offenses among this target group.
- Rubbish Rebels are largely supportive of community and beach clean-up activities as well.