Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Contemporary Economic Policy
Publication Date
7-2015
ISSN
1074-3529
Page Number
450
Keywords
environmental protection agency, bottled water, water quality standards
Disciplines
Environmental Law | Law | Water Law
Abstract
This article examines evidence for the private rationality of decisions to choose bottled water using a large, nationally representative sample. Consumers are more likely to believe that bottled water is safer or tastes better if they have had adverse experiences with tap water or live in states with more prevalent violations of EPA water quality standards. Perceptions of superior safety, taste, and convenience of bottled water boost consumption of bottled water. Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to drink bottled water due to their relatively greater exposure to unsafe water and greater risk beliefs. The coherent network of experiences, beliefs, and actions is consistent with rational consumer choice.
Recommended Citation
W. Kip Viscusi, Joel Huber, and Jason Bell,
The Private Rationality of Bottled Water Drinking, 33 Contemporary Economic Policy. 450
(2015)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty-publications/1562