Modeling Public Support for Utility Expansions in Displacement Situations

Abstract

In Germany in 2016, over 722,000 people applied for asylum. That is, in a single year close to three-quarters of a million people were displaced. The struggles displaced people face are numerous. For host communities trying to provide them water and wastewater services, the challenges are also numerous. To account for increased users, utility managers may need to expand the capacity of their systems temporarily, if not permanently. The financial burden of these expansions is largely shouldered by the hosting community. If a community is opposed to such expansion, it can adversely impact a project’s schedule, resources, and budget. Hence, it is critical for utility managers to understand the hosting community’s public support for proposed expansion plans. As such, there is a need to evaluate what factors influence public support in displacement situations. To address this need, this study uses place attachment theory to assess what personal beliefs, demographic factors, and geographic parameters are associated with public support. Enabling this study is data gathered through a survey distributed to all 16 German States in 2016 (n=416). Multinomial logistic analysis revealed three key drivers of public support: trust in the utility provider, willingness to participate in utility decisions, and willingness to provide utilities to those who cannot pay. The findings suggest that utility managers should build trust with the host community and foster participation to increase public support. In addition, this work shows how, in displacement scenarios, public support can be explained with place attachment theory.