The Water Quality Association recently released their annual consumer opinions and perceptions study for 2019. This report, conducted in January of 2019, represents the findings of a national online survey of 1,405 adults over the age of 18 that are living in private households. The report reveals some interesting finidngs and trends with Americans and their perceptions of their drinking water.
Among the Major Findings:
- A quarter of the households (25%) in America are very concerned about the quality of their household's water supply, and another (26%) are concerned. This is an increase from the 2017 study. concern regarding the safety of tap water (48%) has grown significantly since the 2017 study.
- 4 out of 5 households get municipal water, while 12% have well water and 8% don't know where their water comes from. Both users of municipal water (54%) and well water (52%) are not totally confident that their water supply is safe.
Knowledge of Contaminants:
- Over half of the households claim knowledge of contaminants in their water supply. Almost half identify lead on an unaided basis, compared to only one-third in the 2017 report.
- Nearly two-thirds purchased some sort of treatment system when they moved into their current home.
Making Purchasing Decisions
- Almost one in five households have a water softener system installed in their home, an increase over the 2017 study.
- Most Americans are familiar with inexpensive POU/POE systems and refrigerator systems, they have some familiarity with RO systems and very limited familiarity other types.
- Americans clearly concerned with contaminants and taste in their tap water. They need to be shown how these other lesser known systems have greater value if they can deliver better tasting water free of contaminants.
The full report is available below. You can learn more about more about water quality facts and issues from WQA's website here. We are a proud member of the Water Quality Association and have their Gold Seal Certification for our certified products.
National Study of Consumers' Opinions & Perceptions regarding Water Quality 2019 Edition
