60 per cent of UK adults responding to a YouGov SixthSense beverage sector report regard bottled water as an unnecessary expense, with 71 per cent seeing no superiority in cleanliness over tap water.

The charity WaterAid reportedly also saw similar findings following a study it ran in 2009, which found that over 60 per cent of consumers are choosing tap water over bottled water alternatives when they dine out. Ongoing concerns surrounding the financial climate together with the perceived ecological as well as health risks are said to be the main driving forces behind consumers’ changing habits.

As the YouGov SixthSense report revealed, less than a third of respondents drink bottled mineral water on a daily basis, whereas almost two thirds typically drink water from the tap. Interestingly, the same investigation showed no correlation between mineral water and consumption and wealth, with those on lower salaries actually demonstrating a higher propensity for drinking water of the bottled variety.

The advantages of consuming the recommended daily volume of water are constantly being communicated, the YouGov study highlighting the fact that consumers have generally listened to research, with over two thirds of consumers making positive efforts to increase their intake of water.

James McCoy, research director of YouGov SixthSense said that whilst the UK’s bottled water market has experienced dynamic growth over the years, new reports could now be turning the industry in a new direction. The challenging financial environment and developments in the market for in-home water filtration are cited amongst the reasons for the renewed confidence in tap water.

Posted by Phil on the 21st July 2010