*4.2. Perception Differences* 4.2.1.Trust

Our results demonstrated that residents who primarily utilize tap water as their drinking source display higher levels of trust in their water utility than those who utilize mixed sources or bottled water only. Groups that relied partially on tap water, such as *bottled & tap* and *appliance filter*, had higher trust than the *bottled water* cluster. Yet those who drank tap water exclusively had higher trust levels than every cluster except for the *bottled & tap* cluster. Previous studies comparing tap water and bottled water groups have also found that tap water drinkers have higher trust levels [18,21,33]. Our results add to these previous findings by demonstrating how trust can increase with even partial reliance on tap water.

The difference in trust between those who drink bottled water exclusively and those who drink it half the time could be explained by examining why people are choosing to drink bottled water. Ward et al. (2009) found that, while those who drink bottled water have a range of beliefs about the health benefits of bottled water, these beliefs are not necessarily key drivers of bottled water purchases. In that case, convenience is the most motivating factor [59]. Similarly, Saylor et al. (2011) found that lack of convenience is a barrier to drinking tap water [21]. Consequently, a number of additional factors, including convenience and marketing effort, may impact drinking water choices. Future research could explore how these additional factors interact with trust, risk beliefs, and salience to explain drinking water behavior.
