Pullinger, M., Browne, A., Anderson, B. & Medd, W. (2013) Patterns of Water, The water related practices of households in southerton England, and their influence on water consumption and demand management.

This report contains the findings of survey research on the patterns of water using practices in households across the South and South East of England. Following a ‘practice based’ approach to water demand, this research takes practices as the unit of analysis when exploring water use – rather than attitudes, behaviours or simply ‘litres used’ – and highlights how this changed unit of analysis allows for a deeper understanding of the routines and habits of everyday life that lead to domestic water consumption – washing and personal hygiene, doing the laundry, gardening, cooking etc. Based on an 1800 person survey across the south and south east of England, and a range of descriptive and cluster analysis, this research highlights the diversity of dynamics shaping domestic water demand in the UK and may help bring new insights into how to construct interventions, and into the future trajectories of different practices and levels of water consumption.

Link to full report

2013