Household bottled water consumption in Phoenix: a lifestyle choice

The demand for bottled water has grown tremendously in recent years, together with concern about its environmental impacts. The authors surveyed individuals in Phoenix, Arizona about their water consumption behaviour, socio-demographic characteristics, perception of water quality and trust in the government's willingness to respond to water quality issues. Using a logit model, the authors then tested the relationship between the respondents' characteristics and bottled water consumption for cooking and drinking in the home. Our results indicate that bottled water consumption reflects lifestyle choice not environmental concerns.