Dynamic Public Perceptions of Water Infrastructure in US Shrinking Cities: End-User Trust in Providers and Views toward Participatory Processes

Abstract

The operating environment of water infrastructure is inherently dynamic due to factors such as water-related events, media coverage of such events, or changes in institutional expectations. This dynamic environment impacts public perceptions of infrastructure services and providers. In an effort to understand public views regarding water infrastructure, decision makers may periodically assess perceptions to aid in pursuing successful community-supported management strategies. However, single cross-sectional samples from previous studies do not consider the changes in perceptions over time. This study assessed dynamic perceptions of local water providers using two surveys deployed in 21 US shrinking cities, before (2013) and after (2016) media attention on nationwide water infrastructure challenges arising from events such as the Flint water crisis. Questions of interest pertained to whether respondents trust their water providers and want to partake in participatory processes of local utilities. Results indicated a statistically significant change in perceptions, highlighting the importance of temporal sampling. Statistical modeling revealed that geographic parameters typically have homogeneous impacts, indicating localized factors influencing utility–customer relationships in shaping perceptions, whereas demographic parameters have heterogeneous impacts.