February 2024 – Survey at Montaigu, France to access social awareness and perception on water reuse

As part of NINFA’s effort to understand citizen perception of water related issues and the role of citizen perception in the implementation of water reuse schemes, a survey was conducted at the end of February 2024 in Montaigu (France). A team of sociology students together with IMT’s sociology experts (researchers) spent one week (26th February – 1st March) where they conducted an exploratory survey on users’ perceptions of water related issues (water stress, climate change, water resources quality, etc.) as well as their knowledge and perception of uses of reclaimed water. This study was performed using a semi-structured interview grid which was based on 5 themes: (Sociological background and other information; uses and consumption of water; Knowledge about water, its cycles, availability and distribution; Identification of water quality attributes among users and Knowledge and Perception of reclaimed water and its uses).

The team also got the chance to explore the city, actively seeking out water-related objects such as fountains, wells, and drains, while also examining the various forms of land artificialization. At the end of each day, the researchers and students discussed the day’s observations.