Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2011, 8, 565-578; doi:10.3390/ijerph8020565 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ISSN 1660-4601 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Article Bottled Water: United States Consumers and Their Perceptions of Water Quality Zhihua Hu 1,*, Lois Wright Morton 1 and Robert L. Mahler 2 1 2 Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, 103 East Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA; E-Mail: lwmorton@iastate.edu PSES Department, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 442339, Moscow, ID 83844, USA; E-Mail: BMAHLER@uidaho.edu * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: zhihuahu@iastate.edu; Tel.: +1-515-520-0727; Fax: +1-515-294-2303. Received: 1 January 2011; in revised form: 27 January 2011 / Accepted: 15 February 2011 / Published: 21 February 2011 Abstract: Consumption of bottled water is increasing worldwide. Prior research shows many consumers believe bottled water is convenient and has better taste than tap water, despite reports of a number of water quality incidents with bottled water. The authors explore the demographic and social factors associated with bottled water users in the U.S. and the relationship between bottled water use and perceptions of the quality of local water supply. They find that U.S. consumers are more likely to report bottled water as their primary drinking water source when they perceive that drinking water is not safe. Furthermore, those who give lower ratings to the quality of their ground water are more likely to regularly purchase bottle water for drinking and use bottle water as their primary drinking water source. Keywords: bottled water; water quality perceptions; ground water quality 1. Introduction Consumption of bottled water is increasing by ten percent every year worldwide, with the fastest growth seen in the developing countries of Asia and South America [1]. The United States (U.S.) is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world. The U.S. consumption of bottled water in 2008