CIVIC-PG Track B: Reducing disparities in drinking water access by rebuilding consumer confidence in municipal tap water

Previous studies have shown that the rise in commercial water consumption reflects an erosion in Americans’ trust in government to provide safe drinking water. This research addresses this crisis in consumer confidence by examining the increasing use of bottled water by low-income minority populations in Des Moines IA even though commercial water is more expensive; less regulated; and more environmentally damaging than tap water.

The project tests the hypothesis that the propensity of low-income minority populations to favor commercial water products, over municipal sources, is rooted in distrust of government to provide safe tap water. Also involved is examining the impact of commercial water sector marketing materials and the messages they send with regard to public perceptions of the safety of municipal tap water.

Understanding the dynamic of increased commercial water use by low-income minority populations has implications for public health, places a greater financial burden on low-income consumers, and increases disparities in access to drinking water which is an essential resource and human right. This research uses an innovative and interdisciplinary partnership that involves academic researchers, public service providers, and input from residents in low-income and various minority communities in the Des Moines area.

Goals are to understand low-income and minority community perceptions and concerns about the safety and quality of public tap water; trustworthiness of public services, in this case the Des Moines Water Works. Research questions include: (1) What is the source of distrust in tap water within historically marginalized communities; (2) How does the source of distrust vary from one demographic to the next (e.g., African American, Hispanic, immigrant, low-income); (3) How can consumer confidence be rebuilt among historically marginalized groups; and (4) What interventions can be implemented to build trust and who should deliver them: public works offices, independent parties, or grassroots community leaders.

Broader impacts of the work include improved access to low cost, high quality drinking water for low-income communities, increased trust in public municipal services, and effective mechanisms for building trust in public services. Broader impacts of the project include lowering the cost of safe, high quality, drinking water for low-income and minority communities and rebuilding trust in civic essential resource providers.

If successful, lessons learned and interventions used in this project can be scaled and translated to other communities with similar public service trust issues.

The overall objective of this project is to identify and implement interventions that rebuild trust in municipal drinking water providers. It involves designing and implementing interventions that increase consumer confidence and consumption of public services, ultimately reducing disparities in service consumption between racial, ethnic and low-income groups and affluent, non-Hispanic white populations.

The central hypothesis of the work is that interventions targeting racial, ethnic, and low-income groups will improve these groups’ perceptions of publicly provided services. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we will conduct initial demographic analyses to understand current drinking water behavior among the civic partner’s consumer base and interview community stakeholders to understand their perceptions and concerns about tap water and commercial water consumption habits. These tasks will inform the development of interventions meant to increase consumer confidence.

This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track B. Bridging the gap between essential resources and services & community needs—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.