Americans Perceptions on the Quality of Water

Last Updated on August 23, 2021

Now more than ever people are becoming more aware of what is lurking in their tap water. Even if you can’t see or smell contaminants in your water, they are there. Many of these contaminants cause harmful effects on our bodies. Don’t wait to solve your problem water! With a Puronics water filtration system you can have the healthy water your family deserves. But why do people choose a Puronics water filtration system?

For the past 13 years, WQA has commissioned an independent survey seeking the attitudes and perceptions of Americans about their water. This study, conducted by Applied Research-West, Inc. on behalf of Water Quality Association, displayed an increase in awareness of water quality and contaminants that may affect water quality. Especially a significant increase in the number of Americans who identify lead as a possible contaminant rose over the past two years.

According to an independent survey, some major findings included:

  • When it comes to perceived contaminants in water, the number of respondents who identified lead more than doubled since the last survey (from 15% in 2015 to 33% in 2017).
  • The number of respondents who said they learned about health contaminants from the media rose from 27 percent two years ago, to 43 percent this year.
  • When asked, “Who is the water quality expert in your area?”38 percent cited water treatment dealers, technicians or certified water specialists. That’s up from 24 percent in 2015.

“News coverage of the Flint, Michigan lead crisis likely played into the rise of awareness of water quality issues from the news media,” said WQA Executive Director Pauli Undesser. “This might have also contributed to the increase in the number of respondents who identified lead as a possible water contaminant.”

More than half (52%) of those surveyed perceive the federal laws governing drinking water quality are not strict enough. A sizeable majority of consumers (75%) believe that the primary responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water lies outside their home, with the municipality.

These results suggest increasingly that point-of-use/point-of-entry water treatment may present a viable solution for communities with problematic water supplies. More than 99% of the water coming into our homes is not used for drinking. By installing water filtration protection at or near the tap, consumers can protect the water that is most important to them.

The findings also reveal that boil water alerts tend to trigger the purchase of water filtration systems. Close to half of respondents (41%) said they purchased a water filtration device after a “unsafe water for use” or “boil-water alert was issued in their area. Many of these respondents said they bought a filtered water pitcher, refrigerator filter system, or reverse osmosis system.

In addition, over half of respondents would be willing to pay more for home water treatment systems to remove lead (63%), arsenic (60%), pharmaceuticals (57%) and other contaminants.

How the survey was conducted: The report presents the findings of a national online survey conducted by Applied Research-West Inc. between February 1-February 15, 2017. A total of 1,711 adults over the age of 18 and living in private households were interviewed. ARW used a random sampling procedure and the survey results are accurate within +/-2.2 percent. The results are representative of all U.S. adults over 18.

WQA is a not-for-profit trade association representing the residential, commercial, and industrial water treatment industry. Since 1959, the WQA Gold Seal certification program has been certifying products that contribute to the safe consumption of water. The WQA Gold Seal program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).

Puronics products have been tested and certified that incorporate SilverShield® HYgene® Bacteriostatic Filter Media and recognized by the WQA Gold Seal. Contact Puronics today for a FREE Water Test.

 

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