A psychosocial analysis of the human-sanitation nexus

An estimated 40% of the world's population lacks access to sanitation facilities. Approximately 6000 children, most of them in developing countries, die every day of diseases related to inadequate sanitation and a lack of access to safe drinking water. In Europe merely 30% of all water borne sewage functions in a sustainable manner. As a first measure to be taken in order to solve this unsustainable sanitation situation, it is estimated that more than 2.6 billion people will need to gain access to sustainable and effective sanitation within the next 10 years. However, getting people to use, understand and accept sustainable sanitation alternatives has proven to be a big challenge. The intention of this paper is to involve behavioural scientists in the psychosocially related problems of sanitation. There is an urgent need to find clues as to how this issue can be brought to the attention of people in various cultures and gain their acceptance. Some of the clues suggested in this paper take Maslow's hierarchy of needs as their starting point, as this serves as an important indicator of people's desires and needs concerning sanitation. It is also suggested that, in contrast to how the promotion of sanitation is carried out today, marketing and use of a cognitive approach can greatly influence the degree of acceptance of sustainable solutions.