Behavioral insights influence citizens’ beliefs, awareness, and behaviors, enabling alignment of individual actions with broader public policies, and their systematic application can improve management and reduce drinking water consumption. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework based on behavioral insights to enhance and manage drinking water use. The research employed a descriptive–exploratory approach with a qualitative strategy, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with experts and analysis of laws, upstream documents, and policy reports. The participants included university faculty members and managers from the water and wastewater and regional water organizations in Mashhad, selected using purposive non-probability sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data collection instruments included an interview protocol based on the nine dimensions of the MINDSPACE behavioral insights model and a document analysis framework, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis following the approach of Braun and Clarke. The findings indicated that the various dimensions of the MINDSPACE model—including messenger, incentives, norms, defaults, salience, priming, affect, commitment, and self-identity—can shape drinking water consumers’ behavior through distinct behavioral mechanisms and logics. Ultimately, the resulting conceptual framework clarified how behavioral insights can be systematically and effectively applied in managing drinking water use and provides a practical basis for designing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral policies and programs in water demand management.
Behavioral insights influence citizens’ beliefs, awareness, and behaviors, enabling alignment of individual actions with broader public policies, and their systematic application can improve management and reduce drinking water consumption. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework based on behavioral insights to enhance and manage drinking water use. The research employed a descriptive–exploratory approach with a qualitative strategy, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with experts and analysis of laws, upstream documents, and policy reports. The participants included university faculty members and managers from the water and wastewater and regional water organizations in Mashhad, selected using purposive non-probability sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data collection instruments included an interview protocol based on the nine dimensions of the MINDSPACE behavioral insights model and a document analysis framework, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis following the approach of Braun and Clarke. The findings indicated that the various dimensions of the MINDSPACE model—including messenger, incentives, norms, defaults, salience, priming, affect, commitment, and self-identity—can shape drinking water consumers’ behavior through distinct behavioral mechanisms and logics. Ultimately, the resulting conceptual framework clarified how behavioral insights can be systematically and effectively applied in managing drinking water use and provides a practical basis for designing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral policies and programs in water demand management.