Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought

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dc.contributor.advisorVisser, Martine
dc.contributor.authorDunn, Micaela Ann
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-26T07:11:15Z
dc.date.available2026-06-26T07:11:15Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.date.updated2026-06-26T07:07:38Z
dc.description.abstractThis paper examines trends in household water consumption before, during and after the 2015–2018 Cape Town drought across different income groups. Using panel regression methods, the study investigates whether water consumption rebounded to pre-drought levels following the crisis and explores the key factors shaping consumption behaviour under conditions of scarcity and recovery. The empirical approach combines descriptive analysis with a static correlated random-effects model for the pre-drought period and dynamic fixed-effects models with lagged consumption for the drought and post-drought periods. Drawing on insights from the behavioural and environmental economics literature, the quantitative results are interpreted within a broader framework of habit formation and behavioural adjustment. Overall, the findings indicate that water consumption does not fully return to pre-drought levels across income groups. Income (proxied by quintile property value), seasonality, precipitation, temperature and past consumption behaviour are all found to significantly influence water use before, during and after the drought.
dc.identifier.apacitationDunn, M. A. (2026). <i>Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43393en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationDunn, Micaela Ann. <i>"Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2026. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43393en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDunn, M.A. 2026. Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43393en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Dunn, Micaela Ann AB - This paper examines trends in household water consumption before, during and after the 2015–2018 Cape Town drought across different income groups. Using panel regression methods, the study investigates whether water consumption rebounded to pre-drought levels following the crisis and explores the key factors shaping consumption behaviour under conditions of scarcity and recovery. The empirical approach combines descriptive analysis with a static correlated random-effects model for the pre-drought period and dynamic fixed-effects models with lagged consumption for the drought and post-drought periods. Drawing on insights from the behavioural and environmental economics literature, the quantitative results are interpreted within a broader framework of habit formation and behavioural adjustment. Overall, the findings indicate that water consumption does not fully return to pre-drought levels across income groups. Income (proxied by quintile property value), seasonality, precipitation, temperature and past consumption behaviour are all found to significantly influence water use before, during and after the drought. DA - 2026 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - water KW - drought LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2026 T1 - Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought TI - Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43393 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/43393
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationDunn MA. Understanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2026 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43393en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Economics
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Commerce
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectwater
dc.subjectdrought
dc.titleUnderstanding water consumption trends across income groups before, during and after the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMCom
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