Public and Stakeholder Perceptions of Water Security in the United States: A Scoping Review and Integrative Conceptual Framework

Water security is a multidimensional concept, but its meaning and application remain fragmented across research, policy, management, and public discourse. Because individuals, families, and communities are integral to socio-physical water systems, understanding their perceptions is important for sustainable and equitable water resource management. This scoping review synthesizes empirical research on perceptions of water security in the United States. Following PRISMA-ScR guidance, six databases were searched for publications from January 2010 to June 2025, yielding 10,711 records. After duplicate removal, title and abstract screening, and full-text review using predefined eligibility criteria, 167 empirical studies were included and coded using a shared codebook; intercoder reliability ranged from moderate to high. Research was geographically and socially uneven, with greater attention to western and southern states and to the general public, while low-income communities, Indigenous populations, rural minorities, producers, and officials were underrepresented. Across contexts, perceptions were associated with trust, lived experience, risk perception, knowledge, values, affordability, and policy preferences. The review identifies a conceptually multidimensional but analytically fragmented literature and proposes the Comprehensive Water Security Framework (CWSF), a three-domain architecture intended to support more comprehensive, comparative, and context-sensitive water-security research and assessment.