Adopting versus adapting: adoption of water-saving technology versus water conservation habits in Spain

Issues of water scarcity can be ameliorated through household adoption of water-saving technologies and by adaptation of consumption behaviour. In this paper the determinants of the adoption of water-efficient devices and of water-saving habits in Spain are analyzed using data from 27,000 households. This includes information on choices about self-reported conservation habits and decisions about the adoption of water-saving equipment. The findings show that educational campaigns have a strong positive effect on both decisions to undertake investments and decisions to adapt habits. These results also allow campaigns to be aimed at certain socio-economic groups identified in the econometric analysis.