New Survey Finds Concerns at the Tap Have Doubled in the Last Two Years, with Seven in 10 Americans Expressing Worry About the Quality of Their Drinking Water at Home
AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB) August 01, 2023 -- Aquasana, a leading maker of high-performance water filtration solutions for the home, today announced the results of its fifth annual Water Quality Survey, which polls Americans about their drinking water knowledge, habits and concerns in honor of National Water Quality Month. According to the new survey, which polled 2,414 U.S. adults in April 2023, concern over drinking water quality in the U.S. is on the rise. In the past two years, the number of Americans who said they are concerned about the quality of unfiltered tap water in their home more than doubled, up from 34% in 2021 to 70% in 2023. Not surprisingly, nine in 10 Americans (91%) say they filter their drinking water at home, up 25% compared to 73% of U.S. adults in 2020.
“We conduct the Aquasana Water Quality Survey to shed a light on how Americans really feel about their drinking water,” said Derek Mellencamp, General Manager of Aquasana. “Overall awareness around water quality issues has been steadily climbing over the past five years, along with the number of Americans choosing to filter their water at home. In the past two years alone, we’ve seen the percentage of Americans concerned about their home’s drinking water double to 70%, and it’s no wonder. Between train derailments, PFAS hotspots, lead in pipes and leaching from buried cables, and plastics making their way into our water and food supply — water concerns are much more frequent and highly visible to consumers. In addition to our annual survey, we speak directly with thousands of customers every week. Never has there been more concern about the quality of water reaching their homes.”
Why are more adults choosing to filter their water at home? According to the survey, sustainability is the number one motivator, with more than half of Americans (52%) saying they filter their water at home because it is environmentally friendly, up from 41% in 2022. Other primary motivators among those who said they use a water filter at home are the health benefits (31%) and lack of trust in the quality of their drinking water (30%).
Overall, sustainability is a major driver for American consumers across the board. The number of people who said they “always or often” seek products to purchase because they are sustainable for the environment has grown by 130% over the past two years, up from 27% in 2021 to 62% in 2023. In contrast, trust in bottled water is down. The percentage of Americans who believe bottled water is the most trustworthy source of clean drinking water dropped 51% over the past five years, from 41% in 2019 and 2020 to 20% in 2023. “In addition to the plastic waste from bottled water, transporting and distributing bottled water is a major contributor to carbon emissions," added Mellencamp. “Consumers are finally saying enough.”
When it comes to specific drinking water contaminants, U.S adults cited chlorine and chloramines as their number one contaminant of concern (24%) – up 71% from 2020 and surpassing lead for the first time in the survey’s history – followed by lead (16%), PFOA/PFOS (14%), bacteria, cysts and viruses (14%), pesticides and herbicides (14%), fluoride (11%) and VOCs (5%). This marks the first time that PFOA/PFOS has made the top of the list, a 367% increase from 2020, when just 3% of people listed the toxic “forever chemicals” as their primary contaminant of concern. Similarly, Americans’ familiarity with PFOA/PFOS as they relate to water has more than tripled over the past five years, growing steadily from 27% in 2019 to 33% in 2021 and then spiking to 88% in 2023.
“Installing a water filter is an easy way to instantly improve the overall health and wellness of a home,” said Mellencamp. “We’re committed to raising awareness around the vital role that clean drinking water plays in maintaining good health and helping people find effective water treatment solutions they can trust.”
Aquasana’s high performance Claryum® filtration technology is certified to remove up to 99% of 78 contaminants, including chlorine and chloramines, lead, PFOA/PFOS, bacteria and viruses, pesticides, herbicides, microplastics and more. For the full list of survey results and more insights into how Americans feel about their drinking water, visit aquasana.com.
About Aquasana
Aquasana, an A. O. Smith Corporation company (NYSE-AOS), is dedicated to improving the overall health and wellness of every home by delivering clean, healthy and great-tasting water through its best-in-class water filtration systems. Aquasana’s family of award-winning premium water filters – including whole-house filtration systems, shower filters, under sink and countertop filters, reverse osmosis systems and portable filter bottles – provide easy and immediate access to healthy water at home and on the go.
Cindy Young Vanhoutte, Aquasana, http://www.aquasana.com, 1 512-585-0394, [email protected]
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