We used YouGov Profiles to compare the Brits who drink bottled water every day with those that never do
Some people swear by it while others think you should just use the tap – but how do bottled water drinkers and bottled water abstainers differ?
Our data shows that around a third (35%) of British adults drink bottled water once a month or less. However, a fifth (22%) never do it at all while a similar proportion are at the other end of the scale and drink it every day (18%). But who are they?
YouGov Profiles shows that daily bottled water drinkers are pretty evenly spread throughout the over-25s – making up 30% of 25-39 year-olds, 31% among those aged 40-59 and 26% of the 60+ bracket. However, it is a different story when it comes to those who never drink bottled water. Here, fewer than one in five 25-39 year olds fit into this category, rising to 30% among those aged 40-59 and 42% of the 60+ population.
There is no real gender split between daily bottled water drinkers (50% male and 50% female) and those who abstain (48% male and 52% female).
The data shows that there is a clear difference between the two groups when it comes to the question of whether water has a taste. Those who drink bottled water every day (65%) are notably more likely than those who never do (46%) to say that it does. Inversely those who never have bottled water are much more likely (44%) than bottled water drinkers (21%) to think it doesn’t.
However, despite drinking bottled water every day, these adults are not much more likely to say they never drink tap water (9%) than those who never do (7%).
With the issue of single use plastics becoming ever more prevalent, YouGov Profiles shows that those who drink bottled water every day are almost identical to those who never do when it comes to choosing sustainable brands when shopping.
Around half of each group (49% of bottle water drinkers and 51% of abstainers) agree that they prefer sustainable brands. Around a fifth of each (21% and 20% respectively) say they don’t.
