Important Plastic Water Bottle Stats

When determining whether to drink tap or bottled water, what factors should you consider and which option is best for you? This analysis can help you decide.

By: Maggie Pace

Bottled water has been sold since at least the 1850s, but it has never been more popular than it is today. In fact, it’s estimated 1.3 billion plastic bottles are used each day across the world, which is about 1 million per minute. With so many plastic bottles being used every day, we wanted to take a deep dive into the subject. To do this, we’ve gathered information from around the web about the environmental impacts that plastic water bottles have on the environment, and conducted our own survey of 2,143 U.S. adults to help understand trust and usage of bottled water.



Water Bottle Environmental Pollution Stats

It is no secret that plastic water bottles lead to large environmental concerns about sustainability and dangers to our oceans. Here are a few water bottle pollution stats to be aware of:




In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, some people reuse their disposable plastic water bottles. However single-use water bottles have additional risk of chemicals and microplastics entering the water inside as they start to degrade from repeated use. One study by the World Health Organization found microplastics in more than 90% of samples from 259 bottle brands across the world. In one bottle tested, concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per liter of water.

Along with these concerns, disposable plastic bottles are nearly impossible to clean properly, making them a breeding ground for bacteria, which can make them even more hazardous to reuse. Over time, tiny cracks can develop in reusable bottles which allow bacteria and fungi to grow. This may not be noticeable by the naked eye, but can have a devastating effect on your health.

While the stats above showcase information collected from around the web, in March 2021 we conducted our own survey of over 2,143 U.S. adults (ages 18-79) to gain insight into people’s trust and purchasing habits of bottled water.

In the data below, we’ll dive into our survey results to discuss people’s trust in bottled water, how bottled water purchases were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and who’s purchasing reusable water bottles as an environmentally friendly alternative.



Water Bottle Trust Statistics

In our 2021 survey, we asked 2,143 people “Which of the following is the most trustworthy source of clean drinking water?” and bottled water was the top answer with 39% of people saying bottled water is the most trusted source. This was actually down from 41% last year, but still held onto the top spot. To expand on this concerning result, here are some interesting statistics on the groups that placed the most and least trust in bottled water.



  • Trust by Age: 53% of Gen Z identified bottled water as the most trustworthy source, which was significantly more than any other age group. For reference, the next closest was Millennials with 30%, followed by Gen X with 36%, and Baby Boomers with 32%. This suggests that trust in bottled water decreases with age.
  • Trust by Gender: Women and men have equal trust in bottled water, as 39% of women and 39% of men voted bottled water as the most trustworthy source. This was the most trustworthy source for both groups, followed by “water filtered with a whole house system” and “water filtered with a pitcher.”
  • Trust by Region: The Northeast region of the U.S. has the most trust in bottled water with 43% of people citing it as the most trustworthy source, followed by 41% of people in the South, and 36% of people in both the West and Midwest saying so.
  • Trust by Urban/Suburban/Rural Classification: Rural areas have the highest trust in bottled water with 42% of people citing it as the most trustworthy source, followed by 39% of people in urban areas, and 38% of people in suburban areas.
  • Trust by Income: People in the middle income group ($50,000 -$99,000 Annual HHI) had the highest trust in bottled water, as 46% of this group cited it as the most trustworthy source. Interestingly, low income groups (<$49,999 Annual HHI) and upper income groups (>$100,000 Annual HHI) had the same level of trust in bottled water with 41% of each group citing it as the most trustworthy source.
  • Trust by Marital Status: Single people had higher trust in bottled water than married people, as 43% of single individuals cited bottled water as the most trustworthy source while only 35% of married people did so.
  • Trust by Parental Status: Non-parents have higher trust in bottled water than parents, as 41% of non-parents cited bottled water as the most trustworthy source while only 36% of parents did so.

Overall, despite bottled water being the most trusted source, it’s important to be aware that the FDA does not require bottled water companies to disclose where their water comes from, how it was treated, or what contaminants it contains. This starkly contrasts with the water you receive from your tap, which is highly regulated and tested often. So depending on the brand, it is possible for your bottled water to have more contaminants than your tap water. For example, a study by the Environmental Working Group found 38 contaminants that exceeded legal limits in water bottles from 10 major brands. If you’re currently using bottled water because of a perceived health benefit, you may be better off relying on your tap water. For added safety, you can utilize a water filter to remove any contaminants that your local treatment facility misses.

Changes in Bottled Water Consumption Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Our survey revealed that while 58% of Americans did not change their bottled water purchasing habits because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of people increased their bottled water purchases while only 12% decreased their purchases.

Of the 30% of Americans who increased their bottled water purchases because of the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • 36% did so because bottled water is safer than tap water
  • 35% did so because bottled water is convenient
  • 26% did so because they wanted a backup water supply
  • 3% said “other”

Of the 12% of Americans who have decreased their bottled water purchases because of the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • 29% did so because they now use a water filtration system at home
  • 26% did so because they want to be more environmentally conscious
  • 21% did so because they believe bottled water is too expensive
  • 6% did so because bottled water was harder to find during the pandemic
  • 3% did so because they don’t trust the quality of bottled water
  • 15% said “other”

Overall, most people did not change the amount of bottled water they purchased due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. If they did change the frequency at which they bought bottled water, they were most likely to have increased the amount of bottled water they purchased. The most common reason for people increasing their purchase of bottled water is because it’s perceived to be safer than tap water. On the other hand, the most common reason for people decreasing their purchase of bottled water was because they now use a water filtration system at home.

Reusable Water Bottle Purchase Statistics

Beyond trust and purchasing statistics related to bottled water, we also wanted to see who’s purchasing reusable water bottles. Our survey revealed that more than half of Americans (55%) have purchased a reusable water bottle in the past year because they are environmentally sustainable.

Here’s a demographic breakdown of who purchased a reusable water bottle in the last year because they are environmentally sustainable:

  • Reusable Bottle Purchases by Age: 69% of Gen Z purchased a reusable water bottle in the past year because they are environmentally sustainable, which was significantly higher than any other age group. For reference, the next closest was Millennials with 56%, followed by Gen X with 49% and Baby Boomers with 46%. This is interesting because Gen Z was far more likely to buy a reusable water bottle than other generations, but also had trust and usage of bottled water which is bad for the environment. Despite high bottled water purchases, this aligns with other research that shows Gen Z has a strong desire to make lifestyle changes in order to be more environmentally sustainable.
  • Reusable Bottle Purchases by Gender: In the past year, 61% of women purchased a reusable water bottle because they are environmentally sustainable, while only 51% of men did so.
  • Reusable Bottle Purchases by Region: From a regional perspective, no particular region stood out for an abnormally higher or lower rate of reusable water bottle purchases in order to be more environmentally sustainable. The West had the highest rate at 57%, followed by the Midwest at 56%, the Northeast at 55%, and the South at 53%. That is to say, purchasing behavior of reusable water bottles for environmental reasons is less impacted by geography than it is by other demographic factors.
  • Reusable Bottle Purchases by Urban/Suburban/Rural Classification: As discussed above, geography didn’t have a large impact on the likelihood of someone purchasing a reusable water bottle to be environmentally sustainable. People in suburban areas were most likely to do so (57%), followed by people living in urban areas (56%), and people living in rural areas were least likely to do so (51%).
  • Reusable Bottle Purchases by Income: The likelihood of purchasing a reusable water bottle to be environmentally sustainable increased in correlation with income. We found that 59% of upper income individuals purchased a reusable water bottle in the past year to be environmentally sustainable, followed by 57% of middle income individuals, and last was low income individuals at a rate of 51%.
  • Reusable Bottle Purchases by Parental Status: Parents and non-parents were equally likely to have purchased a reusable water bottle in the last year in order to be environmentally sustainable, as 55% of each group did so.

Overall, in the past year more than half of almost every demographic purchased a reusable water bottle because they are environmentally sustainable. Interestingly, the only factor that led to significantly different results among respective groups was age. For age, we saw a difference of 23% between the groups that were most (Gen Z) and least (Baby Boomers) likely to purchase a reusable water bottle because they’re environmentally sustainable. For all other demographic factors, there was never a difference of more than 10% between the groups that were most and least likely to have purchased a reusable water bottle in the past year.

Stop Using Disposable Bottles

Now that you have plenty of information, hopefully you’ve come to the conclusion that single-use bottled water is not the best option for your health or the environment.

Instead, we recommend using a water filter at home and bringing a reusable bottle when you’re on-the-go. Aquasana has a wide selection of water filters including whole house, under sink, countertop, and shower filters to suit your needs. We also offer reusable bottles made from a variety of materials depending on your preference, including an option that has a built-in filter. For help choosing the right option, contact us for more information!