352-273-2598 ashleynmcleod@ufl.edu

Floridians have water on the brain and are willing to conserve it — to a point.

Eighty-three percent of residents rated water as a highly or extremely important issue in Florida, behind only the economy and healthcare, according to survey results from the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education. At least 85 percent of Floridians reported having enough water for cities, agriculture and freshwater resources was extremely or highly important.

The PIE Center asked 516 Floridians for their opinions of water quality and quantity issues in the survey’s second year. Only 41 percent felt highly or extremely confident that Florida would have enough water to support residents’ needs in the next 10 years.

“Floridians are absolutely concerned about water,” PIE Center Associate Director Alexa Lamm said. “Whenever we talk with opinion leaders in the agricultural and natural resources industries, water is always the number one issue facing them as a whole.”

PIE Center researchers added questions to the newest installment of the online survey to capture Floridians’ awareness and opinions related to current water issues in Florida, such as a recent water usage lawsuit between Florida and Georgia and the oyster collapse in Apalachicola Bay.

PIE Center researchers also asked survey respondents about how they use and conserve water at home and how willing they would be to change.

Seventy percent of residents said they would be willing to conserve water even if it meant their lawn was less green, and 64 percent indicated they would be willing to purchase water-efficient household utilities.

Most Floridians conserve water through their bathroom fixtures. Water-efficient toilets were in 58 percent of the respondents’ homes and 54 percent reported using low-flow showerheads.

“We found that most Floridians are willing to engage in water conservation behaviors, but they want to engage in things that are easy and simple to do like installing new showerheads,” Lamm said. “With just a little contribution, the public can assist with water conservation efforts. The public is very open to that.”

Floridians also showed support for government regulations and policies encouraging water conservation. Eighty percent approved of water restrictions issued by local governments, and 78 percent would vote to support water conservation programs.

“We have a unique and exciting opportunity to impact water conservation in the future,” Lamm said. “The public needs to be aware of what they can do with these issues, and IFAS can assist in helping them make that become a reality.”

The survey is part of the PIE Center’s series of public opinion research. Other topics include immigration reform, endangered species and food production practices.