More than half of the country believes supply management is poor, while general understanding of regulation is low.
Undertaken by YouGov on behalf of Cavendish Consulting, research published last week shows big differences in attitudes towards water companies.
52% of respondents considered suppliers to have a poor record when it comes to water management, however they also hold they own local supplier in higher regard than the national average. Further to this, 77% said those same businesses were the root cause of issues in the network, and just 10% had trust in companies to provide truthful information about their performance.
When it comes to the public’s understanding of regulatory changes in the sector, awareness is low, with 46% of people neither supporting nor opposing the creation of a new regulator. At a time when the Cunliffe Review has been set up in part to restore faith in the industry, these results in particular suggest the investigation may not successfully rebuild trust because not enough people are aware it’s happening, let alone the overall goals.
‘This research shows a clear gap between perception and reality. People believe the water system nationally is in trouble, but often feel their own local supplier is doing better,’ said Samantha Clough, Executive Director at Cavendish.
”That disconnect matters for the water industry because it makes it harder for companies to rebuild confidence,’ she continued. ‘Closing that gap — by showing clearly and honestly what is changing at a local level is now one of the sector’s biggest challenges, and also one of its biggest opportunities.’
While the findings emphasise how critical the current period is in terms of winning public favour back, generational differences offer some hope to the industry. When looking at different age-based demographics, one-third of Gen Z respondents said they were ‘undecided’ on their views of water companies — the highest of any group — suggesting future bill payers are still forming their opinions on suppliers.
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Company
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Customers who think they discharge too often
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Customers who think lowering discharge rates would enhance their water provider
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Customers aware of sewage discharges in past 12 months
|
Actual % of total discharges
|
Actual % of discharge hours
|
|
Anglian Water
|
37%
|
47%
|
15%
|
10%
|
13%
|
|
Northumbrian Water
|
32%
|
53%
|
15%
|
9%
|
7%
|
|
Severn Trent
|
31%
|
47%
|
10%
|
14%
|
13%
|
|
South West Water
|
56%
|
62%
|
40%
|
13%
|
15%
|
|
Southern Water
|
59%
|
55%
|
38%
|
7%
|
9%
|
|
Thames Water
|
45%
|
48%
|
17%
|
5%
|
8%
|
|
United Utilities
|
37%
|
50%
|
16%
|
17%
|
13%
|
|
Wessex Water
|
33%
|
54%
|
17%
|
10%
|
11%
|
|
Yorkshire Water
|
43%
|
49%
|
17%
|
15%
|
12%
|