Evaluating English fluency on the delivery of water campaign messages to Metro Vancouver residents

Amid growing freshwater availability pressures in increasingly diverse urban centres, language fluency is a barrier to water conservation behaviours. To investigate this barrier, we evaluated Vancouver’s residential water conservation campaign’s message delivery to fluent English speakers (FS) and non-fluent English speakers (NFS). We also examined communication preferences to optimize future water communication campaigns. Survey data were analyzed to compare FS and NFS campaign awareness, message comprehension, communication preferences, and psychological factors (e.g. attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control) based on insights from the Theory of Planned Behaviour. There was a significant difference between FS and NFS in campaign message comprehension but not in awareness or psychological factors. Similarities and differences across FS and NFS preferences for communication methods are also provided; social media was the most preferred method for both groups. Our findings for urban water communication strategies and policies that include diverse language fluencies are discussed.