Understanding Why People Drink Bottled Water at Home in the UK
Water UK and City to Sea Case Study
Conducting research for Water UK and City to Sea to understand why people in the UK choose to drink bottled water at home uncovered deeper drivers linked to people’s values, perceptions, and emotions rather than a lack of cost or environmental awareness.
Approach
To build a full picture, we:
- Carried out telephone interviews with people from across the UK, representing a wide range of demographics.
- Used the Schwartz Values framework to explore how people’s personal values influence their decisions.
- Tested different education, environmental and social messages to see what might encourage people to drink tap water instead of bottled.
This mixed approach helped us uncover the motivations behind bottled water consumption and identify opportunities for change.
What We Found
The decision to buy bottled water at home often went beyond taste or habit.
For many in lower socio-economic groups, bottled water represented control and care – particularly around family health and wellbeing.
Some participants expressed concerns about tap water quality, even though UK tap water meets some of the highest safety standards in the world.
Bottled water was seen as a reliable and reassuring option, especially when serving children or guests.
These insights suggest that campaigns need to go further than sharing facts. Building trust, reassurance and confidence in tap water is key.
Outcomes
From these insights, we developed:
- A segmentation model identifying different types of bottled water drinkers, from cautious caregivers to convenience seekers.
- Recommendations for how to tailor messaging and campaigns to reach each group more effectively.
Findings and recommendations were presented to Water UK and City to Sea to help shape future campaigns encouraging people to choose tap water at home.
Looking Ahead
Encouraging behaviour change means understanding what truly matters to people. This research shows that promoting tap water as a sustainable choice is not only about the environment, but also about trust, control, and care for others.
By grounding communications in people’s values, we can create messages that connect emotionally and inspire long-term, sustainable change.