*1.2. Hypotheses*

Overall, the majority of the literature on drinking water choices focuses on the specific public preference for bottled water over tap, or vice versa. Since bottled water has a substantially higher carbon cost to produce and dispose of [43–45], and a higher economic cost for consumers [46], it is natural that this dichotomy of tap or bottled water has been the focus of previous studies. However, focusing on the dichotomy does not acknowledge the complex patterns of use that characterize how people consume water in their homes. While some studies have included home-filtered water [22,41], and some assessed the difference between exclusive and preferred tap or bottled water use e.g., [47], water use is still often determined by asking about primary water source choice, rather than assessing patterns in use frequency.

To better understand this complexity and the patterns that characterize how people consume water in their homes, we examined the frequency and patterns of use of four water source choices in a population in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. We looked at the factors of risk, salience, trust, and water quality evaluations to ge<sup>t</sup> a more comprehensive view of which factors are related to patterns of water consumption in the home. We hypothesized that:

	- H3a: Those who are more knowledgeable about their tap water quality will be more likely to drink tap water.
	- H3b: Those who notice changes to water quality more frequently will be less likely to drink from tap water sources.

Previous research has highlighted the importance of these factors to water source choice; however, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to relate all four to patterns of in-home water drinking behavior. We explored these factors' contributions to explaining patterns of drinking water sources in one's home with the ultimate goal of better evaluating potential indicators of community trust.
