Consumer thirst for bottled water is stronger than ever, survey finds

International Bottled Water Association | News Release | October 11, 2022

Consumer thirst for bottled water is stronger than ever, survey finds

Alexandria, VA – Almost 9 in 10 Americans (88 percent) say they have a positive opinion of bottled water as a beverage choice, according to a new national survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and older conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). 

More than 4 in 5 Americans (83 percent) say water (any type, from any source) is among their most preferred beverage, and bottled water (still and/or sparkling, unflavored and/or flavored) is among their most preferred non-alcoholic beverages, at 65 percent compared to coffee at 63 percent and soft drinks (regular and/or diet) at 58 percent.

Just over 9 in 10 Americans (91 percent) say bottled water should be available wherever other drinks are sold (unchanged from 2019 survey). Of the bottled water drinkers who have a packaging preference (88 percent), almost 8 out of 10 (78 percent) prefer bottled water packaged in plastic bottles (14 percent said glass, 4 percent said metal cans, and 4 percent said paper cartons or box). 

If plain bottled water is not available, 70 percent of those who identify bottled water as among their most preferred beverages said they would choose another packaged drink: soda (22 percent), sparkling or sweetened or flavored bottled water (10 percent), sports drink (8 percent), tea (7 percent), coffee (6 percent), juice/fruit drinks (5 percent), functional water (5 percent), bottled tea (4 percent), energy drink (3 percent). 

Among the remaining 30 percent, a third (10 percent) would drink from a watercooler, either using a refillable cup (5 percent) or disposable cup (5 percent). Ten percent would drink filtered tap water, 6 percent would drink unfiltered tap water, while 4 percent would drink from a public water fountain (down from 7 percent in 2019).

Eighty-eight percent of Americans say they have a positive opinion of bottled water (46 percent had “very positive” and 42 percent saying “somewhat positive”). Only 12 percent of people say they had a negative opinion of bottled water (10 percent had “somewhat negative” and 2 percent “very negative”).

This positive sentiment is up in 2022 compared to the 2019 survey when 84 percent had a positive opinion of bottled water (41 percent “very positive” and 43 percent “somewhat positive”). And negative sentiment is down: 16 percent had a negative opinion (11 percent “somewhat” and 4 percent “very negative”) in 2019.

Ninety-six percent of Americans have purchased bottled water. This aligns with news that bottled water continues to be America’s No. 1 beverage, outselling soda (by volume) for the seventh year in a row in 2022, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC).

You can find more facts and information about bottled water at www.bottledwater.org.

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Media Contact:
Jill Culora
jculora@bottledwater.org
703.647.4609

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.

In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.