IN FOCUS
Perception and Reality: Water Concern and beverage Consumption in
Two Chinese Cities
Friday, 22 July 2011 One of the greatest environmental challenges China faces as a
consequence of over three decades of rapid economic development is water crisis. Though
China’s water resources are ranked the sixth largest in the world, water use per capita is
lower than the world’s average. Particularly the poorer and less developed western China,
where the majority of the population are ethnic minorities, suffer severe water shortage.
The water situation has been aggravated by high demand and extensive water pollution
since the early 2000s when the central government launched the Great Western
Development Strategy, also known as the opening up of the west campaign.
Dr Xiao Hong, associate professor with the Division of Sociology at Nanyang Technological
University (NTU), attempts to assess public awareness of China’s water situation, the
concern for and attitudes towards water shortages, water quality and beverage consumption
habits of college students in Beijing and Xi’an.
The complicated water situation in China can be explained by its river system and uneven
water distribution. Eighty percent of China’s water resources are found in abundance in the
south but two-thirds of the country’s farmland are in the northern and western parts of
China where water scarcity is severe and perpetual water use is double that of the national
level. In short, there is a mismatch of population, farmland and water resources.
Little is known about the environmental attitudes of western China; hence, the seminar
aims to fill the gap and examines the opinion and behaviour of college students in Xi’an—the
capital of Shaanxi province and a major centre of western China. The comparison is made
with university students in Beijing, the political, economic and cultural capital of the country
as well as the centre of northern China. Dr Xiao highlighted that the opinion of these college
students—who might one day become future policymakers and leaders of China—is of great
value to academics and politicians.
Conducted in summer 2004, a total of 671 students, of which 161 students were from
Beijing (Peking University) and 510 students were from Xi’an (Shaanxi Normal University,
Northwest University of Politics and Law, and Xi’an University of Arts and Science), were
polled in the study.
Findings had shown that awareness of water shortage is generally high among students.
Over 86% of students in Beijing and 80% of students in Xi’an agreed that water pollution is
grave in China. Also, proportionately more Beijing students than Xi’an students consider
China’s water shortage a severe problem. The majority of the respondents also believe that
there is water shortage in their local areas.
Of note is that three-quarters of the students in Xi’an and 64% in Beijing believe water in
local areas is safe and clean for consumption despite the widespread belief that water
pollution is a serious problem in China. This reflects a disconnect in the student awareness
between national problem and knowledge about the local condition. In some ways, this is
expected as universities are located in larger cities where water-supply infrastructure and
system are better than in other parts of the country.
There is also a disjunction in respondents’ viewpoint about water quality in their local areas
and their water consumption habit. Less than one-third of Beijing students and less than
half of Xi’an students know that waterborne diseases are transmitted by consumption of
contaminated water, though more than 95% of respondents claim that they boil water
before consumption. The findings had shown that public education on water safety issues is
imperative at this point.
An analysis on the responses related to whether the country’s water supply should be the
government’s purview revealed attitudinal differences at the institutional level. Students
from Peking University displayed the lowest confidence in the country’s water quality
compared to other students but they possessed a higher level of awareness of China’s water
shortage. Responses to the question on who is responsible for water supply to households
varied significantly among universities. Three quarters of the student respondents from
Northwest University of Politics and Law agreed that the government should be in charge of
the water supply, whereas only 36% of students from Xi’an University of Arts and Science
shared the view. The majority of students from Peking University and Shaanxi Normal
University were of the view that individual citizens should be responsible for securing
household water supply.
Such attitudinal differences can be explained on two planes—the institutional level and
individual level. At the institutional level, Peking University has the most liberal tradition and
it has the proximity advantage of being in the capital as well as in the information centre. At
the individual level, students from Peking University are known for their liberal cultural
experiences and are more likely to be well informed about political, social as well as
environmental issues. On the other hand, the Northwest University of Politics and Law—
whose mission is to educate future political leaders, law enforcement officers, and lawyers,
etc.—has strong leaning towards the central government and thus its students are politically
conservative. Essentially a regional institution, Xi’an University of Arts and Science draws
student from rural areas and smaller towns where water supply to households is via
traditional means from bored wells or rivers. That said, profile differences of individual
respondents do have an impact on the outcome of the findings.
Studying the water and beverage consumption pattern reflects the level of public concern
about water quality and the living standard. Boiled water is the most popular beverage for
students and parents from Beijing, followed by bottled water, tea, soft drinks and beer in
descending order of preference. Similarly for students in Xi’an, boiled water was ranked top
in terms of preference, followed by tea, bottled water and beer.
Household income, hometown origin, college location, age and gender of respondents are
factors that play significant roles in the outcome of the findings. For example, respondents
from higher-income group have greater awareness of the country’s water shortage
problems compared to the lower-income group. Students from cities are more conscious of
water safety and water quality than students from rural areas, and the same hypothesis
applies for college location, be it urban or rural. Older respondents and female respondents
are two major groups that believe the responsibility for water supply should fall on the
government.
Dr Xiao offered several interpretations to the findings. Generally, students from Beijing are
better informed than students from Xi’an about the gravity of water crisis and pollution. The
fact that the majority of the students believe that water in their local areas are clean and
safe for consumption may be the result of the government’s “successful” propaganda. This
suggests a disjunction between national issues and local conditions.
It is also surprising that boiled water takes top spot as the core beverage for college
students and parents in both cities, suggesting that the majority still adhere to customs and
tradition in their beverage consumption. However, the past decade has seen a rapid
increase in soft drink and bottled water consumption in Beijing, suggesting a shift in lifestyle
and higher income in the capital city. This change also brings about impact on consumers’
health and the environment.
As hard truth prevails, many student respondents however do not realise the urgency and
seriousness of the water problem in China. More active campaigns and public education are
necessary to promote knowledge and awareness. The lack of awareness of China’s water
scarcity displayed by students may be due to two reasons. First, water in China is
considered “common property”, hence, a mechanism to manage water resources is absent.
Low marginal prices not only lead to abuse and overuse but also misinformation. Second,
classified as state secret, the Chinese authorities restrict access of environmental
information and data only to privileged few government officials.
It is imperative for the Chinese authority to improve on the transparency of the country’s
water shortage crisis. Unless the government is willing to honestly share with its urban and
rural citizens information about the extent of water scarcity, and educate them of their role
in water conservation, China will face a greater environmental crisis.