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CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS CONSUMER RESEARCH IN SCOTLAND

5.1 The following section outlines the findings of previous research into consumer perceptions of water quality in Scotland, undertaken during the period 2004 - 2006. This comprises of independent research which has been commissioned by the following organisations:

• Scottish Water
• Scottish Government

Scottish Water Household Bespoke Survey

5.2 The Scottish Water Household Bespoke Survey is an independent telephone survey with a random sample of 1000 members (16+) of the Scottish population. Interviewing is conducted twice a year to allow results to be tracked over time.

5.3 The Household Bespoke Survey is designed to explore awareness, perceptions and behaviour with regards to different elements of water and waste water supply services. The survey includes a number of questions to establish drinking water behaviour and attitudes among respondents. The key findings of these questions have been summarised in the charts below. Please note that the exact wording of questions was not consistent between each wave of research and thus some waves of research have been omitted from the charts.

Source of drinking water

5.4 When asked to select a statement which best described their main source of drinking water, over two-thirds (69% in December 2006) stated that they mostly drank tap water, with less than one in five (18%) who mostly drank bottled water.

Figure 5.1: Source of drinking water

Base: 1000 (All respondents, each wave)
Source: mruk research limited

Water consumption behaviour at home

5.5 Results from the September 2005 wave of research revealed that around half of respondents (48%) only drank tap water at home, with around two-fifths (40%) of respondents who drank both tap and bottled water at home. Less than one in ten (8%) respondents reported that they drank only bottled water at home.

Figure 5.2: Water consumption behaviour at home

Base: 1000 (All respondents, each wave)
Source: mruk research limited

Tap water drinking behaviour

5.6 Of those who reported drinking tap water at home, the majority of respondents (over 80% in each wave) drank water straight from the tap. A minority of respondents reported that they filtered or boiled their tap water before drinking it.

Figure 5.3: Tap water drinking behaviour

Base: Apr 04: 850; Sept 04: 868; Sept 05: 867 (Those who drank tap water at home)
Source: mruk research limited

Reasons for not drinking tap water at home

5.7 Respondents who reported that they did not drink tap water at home gave a number of reasons why. In the September 2005 wave of research, four in ten respondents (40%) said that they did not drink tap water because they did not like the taste. However, around one-quarter of respondents (26%) reported that they did not drink tap water because they did not think it was safe.

Figure 5.4: Reasons for not drinking tap water at home

* Please note small base sizes
Base: Sept 04: 113; Sept 05: 87 (Respondents who did not drink tap water at home)
Source: mruk research limited

Reasons for using bottled water

5.8 When asked to describe their reasons for using bottled water, respondents cited a range of different answers. In the May 2006 wave of research, over one-third (39%) of respondents reported that bottled water had a better taste, with a similar proportion (36%) who believed that bottled water was of better quality. This represents a significant increase over the September 2005 wave of research when only 14% of respondents cited better quality as a reason for using bottled water.

Table 5.1: Reasons for using bottled water

Base: Apr 04: 354; Sept 04: 456; Sept 05: 494; May '06: 114 (Respondents who used bottled water)
Source: mruk research limited

Water consumption behaviour outside home

5.9 When asked to describe their water consumption behaviour outside of the home, around four in ten respondents (42% in September 2005) reported that they bought bottled water only. Around one-fifth of respondents (21% in September 2005) reported that they only drank tap water, with a similar proportion who reported drinking both bottled and tap water (23%).

Table 5.2: Water consumption behaviour outside home

Base: 1000 (All respondents, each wave)
Source: mruk research limited

Important qualities of tap water

5.10 In 2004, respondents were asked to rank the level of importance of a number of qualities related to tap water, on a scale of 1-10 where 1 was not at all important and 10 was essential. The mean score results of this questions are displayed below in Figure 6. As can be seen, each of the qualities were considered to be important. Having a reliable and continuous water supply was deemed to be the most important factor, followed by taste, odour, clarity and safety to drink.

Figure 5.5: Important qualities of tap water

Base: 1000 (All respondents; Sept 04)
Source: mruk research limited

Satisfaction with qualities of tap water

5.11 Respondents were also asked to rate their current level of satisfaction with a number of qualities related to tap water. Overall, a high level of satisfaction with each of the qualities listed was observed (over 90% in each case). However, the results suggest that respondents were less satisfied with the taste (89% in September 2005) and clarity (91%) of their tap water than with the reliability and continuity of their water supply (97%).

Figure 5.6: Satisfaction with qualities of tap water

Base: 1000 (All respondents, each wave)
Source: mruk research limited

Single improvement consumers would like Scottish Water to make

5.12 When asked to spontaneously identify a single improvement which respondents would like Scottish Water to make, a small minority (4% in September 2005) identified water quality as an area for improvement.

Figure 5.7: Single improvement consumers would like Scottish Water to make

Base: 1000 (All respondents, each wave)
Source: mruk research limited

Scottish Water Qualitative Research on Attitudes to Drinking Water

Approach

5.13 Scottish Water commissioned independent research in 2004 to explore attitudes and perceptions of Scottish Water among consumers. A qualitative research approach was adopted consisting of 12 focus groups in urban and rural areas across Scotland, structured to be representative with regards to age, socio-economic group and gender.

5.14 The focus group discussion guide incorporated a number of questions designed to explore attitudes and behaviour with regard to drinking water. The main findings from this research which are relevant to consumer perceptions of drinking water quality have been summarised below.

Key findings

5.15 Water consumption and attitudes to drinking water among consumers varied considerably but could be categorised into three main behaviour types:

5.16 Perceived water quality was the key factor that determined whether respondents drank tap water or bottled water. Perceptions of the quality of tap water were seen to vary between location, with some respondents reporting that they were deterred from drinking tap water because of taste, odour or cloudiness. A number of respondents believed that the quality of tap water had deteriorated over time. This belief was underpinned by a perception that more chemicals are added to tap water today and consequently water was not as 'pure' as it used to be.

5.17 Bottled water was more likely to be consumed where tap water quality was perceived to be poor, with flavoured bottled water preferred by a minority of respondents. Bottled water was considered by some to contain less chemicals and therefore perceived to be more pure than tap water. These respondents believed that the addition of chemicals was reflected in the taste of tap water, thereby associating the 'lack of taste' of bottled water with purity.

5.18 Respondents who reported that they could drink more tap water were generally apathetic and not self-motivated to drink more water. This was attributed to the fact that regular water drinking was not habitual among these respondents. Respondents who stated that they drank less water because of negative experiences of taste and or odour identified a need for greater reassurance of safety / quality before they altered their current drinking habits.

Scottish Water Consumer Risk Assessment Research

Approach

5.19 Scottish Water commissioned independent research in 2004 on behalf of the Health Risk Communication Group. The main aim of the research was to evaluate the level of information that consumers required in respect to water hazard issues. A qualitative research methodology was employed, consisting of nine focus groups across Scotland with consumers, some of whom had previously been instructed to boil their water.

5.20 Focus groups were structured to be representative of gender, age, socio-economic group and life-stage. Although the group discussion guide focused upon wider issues of consumer risk perception and behaviour, a number of questions were included on water drinking perceptions and behaviour - the main findings of which are summarised below.

Key findings

5.21 The amount of tap water consumed by respondents was dependent upon three main factors: socio-economic group, age and previous experience of incidents relating to water quality.

5.22 Respondents in Glasgow reported that they were least likely to drink tap water because of negative experiences regarding previous contamination. Consequently, these respondents had become unsure of the purity of their tap water. Respondents who reported cloudy water were also more likely not to drink tap water, as they considered it to be 'visually unappealing'.

5.23 Across all of the focus groups, few respondents accepted the purity of Scottish tap water - however they did all believe that it was safe to drink. Perceptions of impurity were based on a combination of the following factors:

• Tap water was different from childhood memories, specifically it was cloudier than it used to be;
• Respondents believed that increased levels of atmospheric pollution had a detrimental effect upon water quality;
• Respondents believed that tap water contained more chemicals than previously and was therefore less pure. Examples of unpleasant taste and odour were attributed to chemical content.

Scottish Executive 'Paying for Water Services' Qualitative Research

Approach

5.24 The Scottish Executive commissioned independent research in 2004 to generate qualitative information from customers with respect to views held on issues raised in the consultation paper 'Paying for Water Services 2006 - 2010'. Research was conducted through 12 focus groups with domestic customers, undertaken across Scotland with a sample broadly reflective of the Scottish population in terms of age, life-stage, location and socio-economic group. An additional 10 depth interviews were carried out with small businesses.

5.25 The principal aim of the research was to explore customer's views with regards to contributing fairly towards the costs and services which they receive from Scottish Water. The research considered attitudes to water quality as this was an influencing factor on willingness to pay. We have summarised the relevant findings from this research below.

Key findings

5.26 Domestic respondents were asked to discuss their awareness and understanding of water and sewerage services, including their experiences of contacting their water provider. Amongst domestic respondents, there were mixed levels of awareness about who actually provided water and sewerage services. Around one-quarter of group participants believed that their water and waste water service was provided by the local Council. This belief was driven by the knowledge that respondents paid their water and sewerage bill with their Council Tax. Consequently, it was found that the majority of domestic respondents did not know exactly how much they paid towards their water and sewerage services.

5.27 The Scottish Executive proposed that Scottish Water should pass all costs to their customers through charges. This would include providing water, treating water, maintaining infrastructure and improving it where required. When presented with the principle, the majority of respondents were frustrated at having to pay towards what they saw as under-investment by previous Local Authorities or Central Government. A minority of respondents believed that these costs should be met through increased taxation. However, this opinion was not shared by the majority of respondents who expressed concerns that revenue from taxation would not be invested directly in improvements.

5.28 After some discussion, the majority of respondents agreed that passing costs on to customers was the most appropriate method of funding improvements, but agreed that the following conditions should be adhered to:

• Costs should be passed on through charges, so that everyone who received the service would make a contribution;
• Charges should be as affordable as possible for low income households - although some respondents believed that this unfairly discriminated against working households;
• Customers should pay on the same basis wherever they are in Scotland; and
• Future charges should be introduced gradually, and customers should be kept fully informed of what improvements were taking place as a result of these increased charges.

5.29 When asked about previous experience with their water provider, respondents reported low levels of contact with Scottish Water. However a number of respondents did report that they had contacted Scottish Water in the past to complain about the quality of their tap water. The experiences of these respondents can be summarised as follows:

• Respondents in Irvine had complained about discolouration in their water (often peaty) which was perceived to imply that the water was unclean.
• A number of respondents in Fort William complained about over-chlorination of their tap water which they linked to poor-taste and cloudiness.
• Respondents who had complained to Scottish Water about the clarity or taste cited examples where they believed Scottish Water did not accept that there was a problem with their water supply. This finding highlighted a dichotomy between the consumer's perception of water quality based upon clarity and taste, compared to the 'scientific' measure of quality which resulted from stringent testing.

Summary

5.30 The research conducted to date in Scotland which relates to perceptions of drinking water has touched upon some of the key issues which drive the consumer's perception of quality and their subsequent behaviours and attitudes. However, due to the fact that issues relating to consumer perception have only been explored as part of wider research projects, the existing literature does not allow us to develop a detailed understanding of this area. Instead, the research previously conducted by Scottish Water and the Scottish Executive suggests that public perceptions of drinking water, whilst complex, are based upon a number of key principles which can be summarised as follows:

• The perception of quality is based mainly upon subjective experience of water clarity, taste and odour. However, consumers will also take into account incidents such as contamination or environmental pollution in shaping their opinions about water quality.
• Consumers associate the appearance, taste and odour of water as a direct indication of its purity. Therefore tap water which is cloudy or discoloured is deemed to be unclean, and that which has a recognisable odour or taste is deemed to contain chemicals and thus be 'impure'.
• For these reasons, some consumers believe that bottled water is of better quality than tap water because it lacks the appearance, taste and odour aspects which distinguish it from tap water.
• The majority of consumers are satisfied with the quality of drinking water in Scotland and therefore choose to drink tap rather than bottled water in the home.

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