“Pollution of drinking water is Americans’ No. 1 environmental concern,” that’s how the Gallup Poll summarizes the findings of their latest environmental survey. Out of a list of 8 environmental concerns, the top 4 were all related to water in some form or fashion. These findings are nothing new. This is the third time I have seen this exact same pattern in a Gallup poll since 2004.
The basic level of concern that Americans report also appears to be holding quite steady. Out of the past ten years, it was only significantly higher (outside the poll’s margin of error) twice, and significantly below this current number once. If this was a poll about gun control, right-to-life/pro-choice, affirmative action, taxes, or some other hot-button issue, you’d see a lot more fluctuation.
So if water is so important, why is it so hard to get people to do the right thing?
I believe that people’s hangups aren’t with the “importance” of water, it’s with themselves and how our communications do and don’t connect with them. This is the world view of the Water Words message method:
- Because they don’t know where to begin, you should begin with behavior as the foundation of your communications
- Because most people don’t want to be first to do anything, the next step is to (so find foolproof photos of other people setting a good example
- Because many environmental group or conservation agency communications are basically incomprehensible to everyday citizens, you should (so swap the shoptalk so they can understand what you are trying to tell them.
- Because they lack confidence in their ability to make a difference, use the words that work to inspire and encourage them.
Click the link for the latest environmental survey from Gallup. And a big shout out to Gary for the tip!
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