Summary of results and conclusions

Children’s perception of water as a natural resource

  • Most of children surveyed understand that water is something natural however one third of the children though that water was man made
  • 98% of the children understood that water is part of a big ecosystem that involves all living creatures: in and that human beings, animals and plants all need water to live
  • That said, many children (77%) did not know the extent of which water is needed and used in our daily lives (e.g. for industrial purposes, agriculture etc)

Children’s awareness on their own use of water

  • The majority of children think they are responsible water consumers and believe that they use as much water as they need
  • Most of children are aware that some little actions (e.g. turn the tap off when they apply soap) can help to save water
  • Almost half of the children believe that water pollution effects humans only a handful were aware of the effect of water pollution on other living creatures

Viewing habits
The majority of children watch animations with their friends and family.
Animations can be a good tool to communicate to children on important issues like water

 


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Summary of results and conclusions

Children love the characters

  • All children like Boo (91%) and chose him as their favourite character
  • Children like all main characters composing the group of friends
  • “Pretty”, “cute”, “tender” and “nice” are just some of the adjectives used to describe Victoria the Vole, a softly spoken river-mouse whose riverbank home has been abandoned by animals and humans because a local factory isn’t taking care of its waste

Storylines convey clear messages on water
The stories of the 3 episodes were summarized and read out to children. After the reading, children were asked some questions on the main messages of the stories.

  • On water pollution, the majority of the children gave right answers, showing that they were able to make the interrelation between nature, water, and the effects of human activities on this resource. In comparison with the 1st Questionnaire when only few children were aware of the effect of water pollution on other living creatures, this illustrates that the episode will clearly illustrate that all living creatures are dependant on good water quality and supply
  • Interestingly, results of water conservation also differ from the findings of the 1st Questionnaire: children better understood that water is a limited resource and that it is important to use it wisely
  • Water and the world: here again, most of the children (85%) understood the message: each of us is responsible for quality and supply of water


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Summary of results and conclusions

Children's perception of the animation

  • The last questionnaire confirms the former results: 450 children from Italy, Ireland, Poland, Belgium and Bulgaria love My Friend Boo! 95% of them say that they enjoyed the animation
  • 98% think that the stories of the three episodes are very interesting

Children's understanding of the messages

  • 44,22% of the children answered that they learnt that the water used at home is the same natural source which is at risk of being contaminated. The other 45 % of the children answered that one should not pollute water and the environment. This shows that the key message of the first episode has been understood
  • From the second episode, It's Only Water, the majority of the children say they learnt 'not to waste water' or to 'save water' or 'not use water more than necessary'. The episode helped the children to understand that water is a limited resource and that it is important to use it wisely

Children's behaviours

  • 96% of the children would suggest to their parents and family members to try to do the same things that they learned while watching the episodes
  • When asked about what they would do when washing themselves in order to save water at home, 84% of the children say 'Save water / Use less water' and 'Turn taps off'


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Pictures

 

Focus group in Italy – Children meet Victoria the Vole

Italian school children listen to the stories of My Friend Boo

... and give their feedback on what they think and what they’ve learnt

 
 
EcoAnimation is supported by the EU's LIFE+ programme - Information & Communication strand.
This strand co-finances projects that implement communication and awareness raising campaigns on environmental, nature protection or biodiversity conservation issues.
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