In this paper we propose to answer the following questions: What does the adoption of water saving measures by Spanish households depend on? Which factors have the most influence on water saving behaviour? To this end we have conducted an empirical study in which a binary model (probit/logit) with interaction effects between city size, educational level and climatic area, along with other quantitative and qualitative variables, is estimated using household level data. The results of this estimation, together with the evaluation of probability changes that occur when any of the qualitative factors change, suggest that the level of income, the size of the city where the dwelling is, the educational level of the reference person and the climatic location of the city are factors that influence the attitude towards saving water.
1 September 2021 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Improving e-waste separate collection rates is of the utmost importance to achieve the environmental targets set in the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the factors influencing the intentions of Spanish households to separate their e-waste for proper disposal. To this end, we carry out an econometric analysis revealing that the preoccupation with environmental issues is an endogenous regressor, so a bivariate model is required to avoid inconsistent results. The analysis shows that environmental concern and the origin of the individuals are relevant factors that influence the e-waste separation decision. Additionally, we observe an interaction between age and city size, so the effect of one of these factors on the probability of separating e-waste depends on the other factor. Another important result is that several socio-economic variables and knowledge of environmental issues only indirectly affect attitudes, by way of environmental concern. In summary, this study offers a useful methodology to policymakers who have to deal with e-waste management, allowing them to identify the priority groups on which should be focused, as well as to design specific measures tailored to their characteristics.
In Southern Europe numerous areas suffer water scarcity. For public policies to be effective, a thorough study of water users must be conducted. This paper aims to analyse the key factors that influence the decision of industrial users in urban areas when choosing between withdrawing water from underground sources or using water supplied through the public network. Using a database of industrial firms in Zaragoza (Spain) the proportion of water drawn from wells is considered as the dependent variable of a fractional response model. This methodology provides an original contribution to the field of behavioural analysis of the industrial sector, enabling us to model industrial decisions on water sources. The results obtained show that the most significant decision-drivers are how the industries use the water, the firms' location and the accessibility of the different sources. Moreover, the findings indicate that firms use lower proportions of well water during the summer.