Running Dry: Exploring people's willingness to pay for river protection

To what extent does the type and delivery of information presented to citizens impact on their willingness to pay for protection of natural habitats?

Running Dry examines this question through the issue of public attitudes to river protection. At a time when excessive abstraction is damaging the long-term health of Britain’s rivers and their ecosystems, this study asks whether people are willing to pay extra on their annual bills to protect them.

By investigating the impact of social and environmental information, and the role of government and industry in providing it, this report highlights how the use of different information affects different environmental arguments.

In demonstrating how public support can shift through the framing of arguments, this study makes an important intervention in the debate around the challenges facing our society in terms of the health of natural habitats, shared responsibility and the preservation of our resources.