Water Resilience and Change of Water Use Behavior

One of the barriers to water resilience is human behavior, which is influenced by a number of contextual and psychological factors. Contextual factors include socioeconomic, technical, institutional, and environmental factors, while behavioral factors include but are not limited to factors associated with the perception of risk, attitudes, and norms. Nonetheless, few studies consider an integrated view of these factors in shaping water use behavior and water resilience. This paper consolidates contextual and behavioral factors influencing water use and resilience. Knowledge gaps, including but not limited to water resilience, can stimulate theoretical and philosophical innovation to reimagine water systems as complex socio-eco-technological systems characterized by nonlinear dynamics and unexpected behavior. Based on the gaps identified, the paper proposes a conceptual model that connects contextual behavioral factors and water resilience and represents potential cause-effect relationships as supported by various behavior approaches and psychological theories. This model proposes an institutional factor to assess the relationship between institutions and stakeholders and contextual factors linked not only for individual water users but also for individuals of water supply organizations based on a review of the literature on water use and water resilience, including but not limited to conservation behavior, psychology, and water use models.