ANTECEDENTS OF NORM-VIOLATING BEHAVIOUR INSUSTAINABLE WATER CONSUMPTION: A GROUNDED THEORYAPPROACH

• Main Author: Asphat Muposhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Social Sciences Research Society 2017-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Studies
• Online Access: http://www.sobiad.org/ejournals/journal_IJSS/arhieves/IJSS_2017_1/a-muposhi.pdf

This studyattemptsto understandthe antecedents of norm-violating behaviour insustainable water consumption. The study was conductedina water stressedmunicipality inSouth Africa.Thestudy adoptsa two staged approachthatcommenceswithgrounded theory tounderstand why the norm of saving water isfailingto embedamong households.Datafor the firststagewasgeneratedusingobservations andin-depth interviews. The sample was drawn fromhouseholdswhowereobserved violatingwater conservationby-laws.The firststageidentifiedawareness of consequences,ascription of responsibility,concernforself-image, low self-efficacyperceptionsand expectationof others’cooperationasthemain antecedents of norm-violating behaviour.Thesecondstagegeneratedcross sectional quantitative data to test thehypothesesthat emanatedfromthe firststage. Ascription of responsibility, expectation of others’cooperation, low self-efficacy perceptions andconcern for self-image werefound to be the drivers ofnorm-violating behaviour in water use.The study offers valuable insights topolicy makers who intend to promote sustainable water consumption