Social representation of water and ecological paradigms in urban cultures of Argentina and Brazil

This paper examines the social representations of water in selected urban cultures of Argentina and Brazil. Some questions have guided this investigation. What is water for the urban dweller? What are the actions that a citizen is willing to exercise?

We developed a methodological triangulation (qualitative- quantitative) with the aim to broaden the understanding of the social representation of water and the environmental paradigms of the selected urban cultures.

A qualitative research with an exploratory descriptive design was initially conducted in two cities of Argentina—Gualeguaychú (Entre Ríos Province) and Buenos Aires—to detect the social constructions the inhabitants developed about water. We selected a single case study with multiple units of analysis (according to Yin’s case analysis methodology)  as we were looking for a holistic, in-depth investigation of the potential mechanisms of social commitment.

The preliminary study conducted in Argentina helped review the empirical dimensions of the typology of ecological paradigms (Dunlap  and Van Liere) and the new versions of that  theoretical construction of the human-nature relationship.

After three qualitative rounds we conducted a quantitative research with a sample of 800 citizens of Buenos Aires.

The study was replicated in the city of Salvador (Brazil) with a sample of 419    people.The comparative research offers interesting insights of the ecological values, beliefs and conducts from the Latin American culture points of view.

Certain variables of the old and the new paradigms appeared in the same person at different points of the conversation. However, the dominant paradigm in terms of ideas and beliefs concerning water was the ecocentric model.

The quantitative research showed the weakness of the citizens´ self-control concerning water conservation. Up to this moment our results are similar to other studies, meaning that the diffusion of environmental values and beliefs has not crystallized in a stable process of pro environmental behaviors.