Public Trust in Drinking Water Safety is Low Globally

A new study published In Nature Communications finds more than half (53.8%) of adults surveyed worldwide expect to be seriously harmed by their drinking water within the next two years. The study, which included input from the University of Southern California, sought to understand public perceptions of drinking water safety.

Key Finding – Even in countries with high access to basic drinking water services, doubts about the safety of water were widespread. This includes the U.S. where 39% of those polled anticipated serious harm from drinking water in the short term.

But why? – People evaluate the safety of their drinking water based on prior experiences. If they have experienced harm from drinking water or know someone else who has, they are more likely to be concerned.

Perceptions of greater public sector corruption was one of the strongest predictors of reported anticipated harm from drinking water. The study postulated that many people may extend this distrust to how water suppliers manage water, reflecting “a decades long decline in general trust in public institutions”.

What they’re saying – “Mistrust in drinking water, especially in instances where it’s perfectly safe, can have its own negative consequences,” said study coauthor Wändi Bruine de Bruin. “Worrying about water quality causes stress and may lead people to drink less water and avoid preparing food. It may also prompt the purchase of bottled water, which is more expensive and is not necessarily better than municipal tap water if it’s available. And, of course, the bottles are a major source of plastic pollution.”

Bruine de Bruin is Director of the Behavioral Science and Policy Initiative at the Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service and Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science at the USC Price School of Public Policy and USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

The study drew on nationally representative data from 148,585 adults in 141 countries from the 2019 Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll. The research team included faculty from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of the West of England, and Northwestern University

What’s next? – The co-authors suggest actions officials can take to improve public trust around drinking water, including efforts to make testing more readily available, translate test results, replace lead pipes and provide at-home water filters when contaminants are detected, as well as provide improved access to safe drinking water.

This study was co-authored with Joshua Miller, Chad Staddon, Aaron Salzberg, Julius Lucks, and Sera Young.