Risk Perceptions of Arsenic in Tap Water and Consumption of Bottled Water
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Water Resources Research
Volume
45
Publication Date
2009
Abstract
The demand for bottled water has increased rapidly over the past decade, but bottled water is extremely costly compared to tap water. The convenience of bottled water surely matters to consumers, but are others factors at work? This manuscript examines whether purchases of bottled water are associated with the perceived risk of tap water. All of the past studies on bottled water consumption have used simple scale measures of perceived risk that do not correspond to risk measures used by risk analysts. We elicit a probability‐based measure of risk and find that as perceived risks rise, expenditures for bottled water rise.
Recommended Citation
Jakus, Paul M., W. Douglass Shaw, To N. Nguyen, and Mark Walker. 2009. “Risk Perceptions of Arsenic in Tap Water and Consumption of Bottled Water.” Water Resources Research, 45, W05405, doi:10.1029/2008WR007427.
