When Water Turns Risky: Linking Stakeholder Behavioral Preferences to Drinking Water Emergency Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Behavioral Science
• Risk Management

Background:

• Effective response to drinking water contamination requires technical preparedness and understanding stakeholder behavior.
• Individual behavioral preferences, such as risk perception and future outcome valuation, can influence decision-making during crises.
• Limited research exists on how these behavioral aspects interact within a crisis simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of behavioral preferences and prior knowledge on decision-making during a simulated acute drinking water contamination incident.
• To analyze decision-making patterns at individual, group, and role levels.
• To identify how behavioral preferences interact with specific roles in emergency response.

Main Methods:

• A simulated five-party serious game was used to model an acute drinking water contamination incident.
• 130 participants completed a behavioral preference survey prior to the simulation.
• Data were analyzed at individual, group, and role levels to assess decision-making outcomes.

Main Results:

• Role responsibilities primarily drove decisions regarding communication, action-taking, and satisfaction, with minor individual behavioral preference effects.
• Aggregated behavioral preferences, including probability weighting and loss aversion, explained collective decision-making.
• Specific behavioral preferences, like altruism, interacted with roles, affecting compensation demands and contamination exposure.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral preferences represent a modifiable factor in emergency preparedness for water crises.
• Institutional clarity, leveraging behavioral diversity, and integrated training are crucial for enhancing water emergency response.
• Understanding the interplay between individual behavior and role responsibilities is vital for optimizing crisis management strategies.