Frighteningly, 20% of US adults will not drink tap water, the Associated Press claims.
Fear of tap water is higher in some cities. For example, 42% of adults in Philadelphia say they drink mostly bottled water, the AP claims. Interestingly, Philadelphia’s government has been running advertising campaigns emphasizing the safety of its tap water.
Cynics will wonder if the campaigns increase distrust of tap water. Notably, skepticism of tap water is higher among blacks and Hispanics who distrust US authorities.
For example, 60% of Philadelphia black adults and 35% of black adults nationwide say they avoid drinking tap water. Similarly, 38% of Hispanics say they avoid drinking tap water.
Bottled Water Sales are booming
Unfortunately, the AP does not provide a source for these figures beyond a vague reference to a “federal survey.” However, booming bottled water sales show demand for tap water alternatives is growing.
For example, US bottled water revenues grew from $43.75 billion in 2014 to $83.01 billion in 2022, Statista estimates. Furthermore, US bottled water revenues could grow to $93.07 billion in 2023, $100.19 billion in 2024, $107.86 billion in 2025, $114.88 billion in 2026, and $120.26 billion in 2027.
Thus, it appears the demand for bottled water is growing, which supports the AP’s claims. I think Statista’s figures show tens of millions of Americans are spending billions of dollars on bottled water. Millions of Americans are voting against tap water with their money.
Why are Americans Turning Against Tap Water?
News about the water crises in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi, is scaring many Americans away from tap water, Asher Rosigner tells the AP. Rossigner studies water access at Penn State University.
For example, Jackson’s water has been unsafe to drink since Summer 2022 because of the failure of the city’s water treatment plant, NBC News reports. Instead of tap water, Jackson residents rely on bottled water handed out by volunteers or purchased from stores.
Moreover, Jackson’s population is 82.47% black, which leads cynics to allege Mississippi’s white Republican government is deliberately depriving residents of clean water. The Jackson situation and a similar crisis in Flint, Michigan, are driving tap water distrust in the black community.
Black doubts about tap water were high before the Flint Crisis began in 2014, the AP claims. Around 35% of blacks, 27% of Hispanics, and 14% of all Americans said they avoided tap water before Flint, the AP estimates.
Americans are Afraid of Tap Water
US tap water has an image problem that is getting worse. Americans are increasingly distrustful of what comes out of their taps.
I predict tap water distrust will keep rising because of events such as the East Palestine train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals into local rivers. Similarly, AP photographers found empty bottled water shelves in Philadelphia supermarkets after a 28 March 2023 chemical spill into the Delaware River (the city’s water source). Americans are afraid of the water.
Many Americans think tap water is unsafe to drink. I think this distrust will get worse and bottled water sales will grow unless our leaders take aggressive action to improve tap water safety.
