Public Policy Institute report on the drought

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  • by john
  • on May 22, 2014
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The Public Policy Institute of California just completed a statewide survey and reports that a record-high percentage of Californians say water supply is a big problem in their part of the state and most say they are using less water both indoors and outdoors this year.

Nearly 60% of Californians say the supply of water is a big problem in their region, with another 26% saying it is somewhat of a problem. The share of Californians viewing it as a big problem is up from 55% who viewed it that way in March. By comparison, just 44% held that view in December 2009 during the last major drought, according to the PPIC.

Two out of three survey respondents say they are following news about the drought closely, including 25% following very closely and 41% fairly closely. About a third of respondents said they are not following drought news closely.

Nearly 80% of Californians say they are using less water on indoor activities such as showers, baths and washing dishes. Nineteen percent report they are not reducing indoor water use.

Among San Francisco Bay Area respondents, 77% reported taking some actions to reduce water use indoors. For outdoor use, of those that said they had outdoor watering needs more than 80% said they had made some changes to reduce water use.

The water-related information is on page 14 of the report.