UI Survey Shows The Priority Water Remains In Idaho

Idahoans may not like regulations, but they do care deeply about water.  That’s according to 35 years of surveys conducted by University of Idaho's Robert Mahler, a professor with University of Idaho’s Department of Soil and Water Systems.  His work represents one of the nation’s longest standing and most exhaustive surveys exploring public perceptions about water, and his methods have been copied by officials in 42 other U.S. states and territories.

How Have Attitudes Changed Over The Years?

Mahler launched his survey in 1988, the same year in which he helped UI Extension establish a water resources program, and conducted it every four or five years through 2023.

“I wanted to track the progress the university made with water education,” Mahler said. “I’ve tried to see how public attitudes have changed, and I’ve tried to use the survey to change or reenforce our direction with outreach and educational activities about water.” 

Throughout the years, he compiled roughly 250,000 answers, which can be organized by metrics such as gender, age, zip code, education and length of time living in Idaho. Prestigious journals are now reviewing papers he authored about the collective survey data for possible publication. 

The surveys show Idahoans consistently rank soil and water as the state’s most important natural resources.  While confidence in drinking water safety has dipped slightly over time, more than 80% still consider it safe.

The survey found women were slightly more worried about water quality than men. Women were also more inclined to use in-home water filters. Long-time Idaho residents were more apt to describe their water quality as being good than newcomers to the state. Furthermore, southeastern Idaho residents were more confident in their water quality than northern Idaho residents. 

Making Changes At Home

Perhaps the biggest shift in three-and-a-half decades?  A dramatic rise in voluntary action.  

In 1988, 26% percent of Idahoans said they would take steps to protect water quality.  By 2023, that number climbed to more than 80%.

Some examples of voluntary actions offered included reduced use of fertilizers and pesticides in yards, properly disposing of household hazardous waste products, composting food waste, frequent servicing of septic tanks and safely disposing of unused pharmaceuticals.

“To me the increase in voluntary actions to improve the quality and quantity of Idaho’s water resources is primarily because of education,” Mahler said of the rise in public willingness to voluntarily protect water. “It’s because of expanding programs.”

Another major change in perception is that Idahoans have become far more concerned about water quantity and mountain snowpack levels. The survey asked participants to rank 15 water issues by order of importance. Snowpack was initially ranked among the lowest-priority issues but consistently appeared as the second or third most��important issue in recent surveys.

In contrast, the percentage of respondents who identify water as being important for irrigation has dropped throughout the years, which Mahler attributes to new residents from other states who are less familiar with agriculture and its value to Idaho’s economy.

Mahler estimates the survey’s margin of error at 2-3%.

Continue Surveying Into The Future

Mahler said he would like Extension to continue surveying the public about water perceptions after his upcoming retirement, using updated questions and an online format to save money.  He believes continuing the dataset would provide crucial information for state lawmakers.

"Our legislators are interested in anything that improves the quality of our water in the state,” Mahler said. “They’re not interested in regulating things more to do that, but they’re interested in programs that give people the ability to take voluntary actions to improve and protect our water resources.”

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