The global population is rapidly urbanizing, increasing pressure on scarce water resources. Lahore, Pakistan, is a case in point, with limited options for increasing water supply to meet booming demand. We ask whether households are willing to pay more cost-reflective tariffs following a simple, randomized information treatment involving calculation of the costs of coping with poor service quality. Treated households are 20 percentage points more likely to acquiesce to increased tariffs for improved service, and median monthly WTP increases 17–18%. A simple verbal procedure can increase acceptance of price increases, offering managers a valuable tool for water demand management.

全球人口正在迅速城市化，对稀缺水资源的压力越来越大。巴基斯坦拉合尔就是一个很好的例子，增加供水以满足不断增长的需求的选择有限。我们询问家庭是否愿意在简单、随机的信息处理后支付更多反映成本的关税，该处理涉及计算应对低劣服务质量的成本。接受治疗的家庭为改善服务而默许提高关税的可能性要高 20 个百分点，每月支付意愿中位数增加 17-18%。一个简单的口头程序可以提高对价格上涨的接受度，为管理人员提供了一个管理用水需求的宝贵工具。