Households and tap water: perceptions and practices in an urban community

Abstract

Less and less French people drink usually tap water although regulations on its quality are more and more strong. This paper analyses this trend through a survey applied in 2001 to 219 persons living in a French urban area, located in North East of France (around Strasbourg). It tackles three main questions : what are the factors, which incite households to prefer bottle water ? How do households perceive tap water management ? What are the consequences of a punctual pollution problem on tap water consumption ?