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Communicating the Risks and Benefits of Human Urine-Derived Fertilizer

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  • Alex Segrè Cohen

    (Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Nancy G. Love

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA)

  • Joseph Árvai

    (Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
    Decision Research, Eugene, OR 97401, USA)

Abstract

Ensuring long-term access to nutrients needed for food production is a growing global challenge. Human urine diversion and recycling is a viable and energy-efficient means of recovering nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from wastewater. Before implementation, however, it is critical to understand how communicating differently about human urine-derived fertilizer may influence its public acceptance. This study tests how different strategies of communication (video compared to texts), as well as different amounts of information, impact public acceptance. We also explored how specific characteristics, such as age and education level, may impact the usefulness of the different strategies of communication. The results indicate that short and long videos are the most useful risk communication strategies, and age fully moderates this relationship. This research may serve as a jumping off point for future studies focused on how risk communication strategies may affect consumer acceptance of other emerging food technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Segrè Cohen & Nancy G. Love & Joseph Árvai, 2020. "Communicating the Risks and Benefits of Human Urine-Derived Fertilizer," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:23:p:9973-:d:453078
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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