10.2190/JR2G-H2A7-7FT4-W892 JR2GH2A77FT4W892 6 The Relationship Between Perceived Motivation for Water Pollution Abatement Programs and Preferred Methods of Financing Such Programs 395 404 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 JR2GH2A77FT4W892.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=JR2GH2A77FT4W892 4 Kevin G. Croke Daniel Swartzman Gary R. Brenniman School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago Current water pollution abatement programs are financed by federal, state, and local taxation, suggesting that the benefits of such programs are widely shared by all members of the community. Assessments of these efforts, however, have concentrated on use-related benefits, suggesting the notion that those who benefit from use of the waterways should pay for water quality improvements. This inconsistency is explored. A public opinion survey was administered to a random sample of the population in the Chicago metropolitan area (<i>N</i> = 350). Respondents' perceptions of the motivation for water clean-up efforts and their preferences on methods for financing such efforts were measured. The dominant motivation was non-use-related, supporting current financing mechanisms. However, inconsistent attitudes among the respondents suggest that policymaking to reconcile perceived motivation and preferred method of payment may be difficult. Committee on Public Works, U. S. House of Representatives, <i>Laws of the United States Relating to Water Pollution Control and Environmental Quality</i>, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1973. R. Odell, <i>Environmental Awakening: The New Revolution to Protect the Earth</i>, Conservation Foundation, Washington, D. C., 1980. D. Swartzman, R. Liroff, and K. G. Croke (eds.), <i>Cost-Benefit Analysis and Environmental Regulations: Politics, Ethics and Methods</i>, Conservation Foundation, Washington, D. C., 1982. A. M. Freeman, III, <i>The Benefits of Environmental Improvement</i>, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 1979. D. Feenberg and E. S. Miller, <i>Measuring the Benefits of Water Pollution Abatement</i>, Academic Press, New York, 1980. J. V. Krutilla, Conservation Reconsidered, <i>American Economic Review, 57</i>:4, pp. 777-786, 1967. E. Hwang and G. Rudzitis, Recreational Benefits from Water Quality Improvements: The Chicago Rivers Case, <i>Journal of Environmental Systems, 10</i>:1, pp. 93-101, 1980-81. J. Waksberg, Sampling Methods for Random Digit Dialing, <i>Journal of the American Statistical Association, 73</i>:1, pp. 40-46, 1978.