The launch of Ofwat’s ‘Let’s Save Water’ campaign last month, when we collectively baked in record temperatures beneath clear blue skies, is nothing if not timely. The message is frank – we can’t just build ourselves out of the supply crisis we face. Yes, we need new reservoirs. But concurrently we need to re-evaluate our relationship to our most valuable commodity. And we need to do it quickly.
However, influencing public opinion – much less changing behaviour – doesn’t happen overnight. It takes sustained messaging, a clear societal narrative, and local reinforcement to make abstract ideas feel immediate and personal.
The sector funded Let’s Save Water campaign has got a lot of heavy lifting to do in this context arriving as it does when the challenges are manifold.
The knowledge gap is deeper than it looks
Last year, Copper Consultancy published Building a Societal Licence: Creating a New Conversation, a study of public attitudes towards the water sector. Our findings were striking:
Nearly half of respondents (46%) admitted to not understanding how water gets to their homes. Only a third knew where water goes after it leaves their property. And 44% disagreed that their own consumption behaviours have any impact on water shortages.
The campaign’s own research reinforces the picture. People are underestimating their daily water use by a factor of almost five believing they use around 30 litres a day, against an actual figure of around 140 litres. Only one in ten adults in England and Wales understands how much water they actually use, while more than half believe water shortages are only a short-term problem.
This isn’t just a failure of communication. It’s a structural issue allowed to permeate over decades. Low public knowledge has allowed misconceptions to take root and trust to erode.
Awareness is not behaviour change
As Rod Naylor, Global Water Lead at GHD, says:
“We as an industry often talk about ‘educating’ people about water and water risk. But I am unconvinced that most people want to know or have the will or patience to learn about such a complex system.”
Naylor argues for connecting water to the things people already care about.
“Understanding what water gives us is more important for perception change than understanding more about how water itself works,” he says, looking to enable, rather than seeking to motivate people through the threat of scarcity.
That reframe could have direct implications for how the sector delivers ‘Let’s Save Water’ locally. A national campaign can shift awareness. What it cannot do on its own is change the habits of millions of people in ways that are sustained over time. The Environment Agency has warned that England alone could face a daily shortfall of five billion litres of water by 2055. More than half of that gap will need to be addressed through smarter demand management, not new supply alone.
The credibility question
Of course, the campaign also lands amidst low public sentiment. Our ‘Building a Societal Licence’ report found that over 70% of the public feel water companies are too profitable.
A campaign funded by water companies, asking customers to use less of the product those companies supply, is risky.
Naylor is clear about what this means for the sector. “You don’t build trust, at least not anymore, by demonstrating your technical superiority and demanding acquiescence,” he says. “The world has moved to distrust of expertise, science and facts. You build trust by helping to ensure that people can access the things that they want and need.”
Building a Societal Licence reached a similar conclusion. Without a sustained effort to rebuild trust, the sector will struggle to bring communities with it on the difficult decisions that lie ahead.
The local level is where the campaign is won or lost
A national behaviour change programme of this scale is long overdue, and the sector should welcome it. Our recommendation is that the sector communicates consistently, owns its narrative, and becomes proactive in making the case for what it does and what it needs to do. ‘Let’s Save Water’ can support that process. Whether it achieves long-term cultural change will depend, above all, on how well it’s reinforced at the local level by people and organisations that communities already trust, connecting water not to scarcity, but to the things that people already value and want to protect.
Copper Consultancy is perfectly placed to support the sector build that societal licence. Our industry experts cut across the vital issues with bespoke strategic advice. Email us at water@copperconsultancy.com to find out how we can help you.