In early 2018, the Water Foundation funded a poll to evaluate Californians’ public opinions of water quality and willingness to pay for safe drinking water. FM3 Research conducted telephone interviews with California voters and found strong support for efforts by state and local government to address drinking water contamination.
Key findings of the survey include:
- Nearly four in five Californians express concern about current water quality problems in the state.
- California voters are surprisingly familiar with water quality problems in Flint, Michigan.
- Strong majorities are willing to fix drinking water contamination throughout the state through a fee on their water bill.
- Three in five voters support the creation of a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund.
- Given a choice, California voters favor additional investment in water infrastructure over keeping water rates low by three-to-one.
- Voters want their legislator to support a fee on their local water bill to ensure all California communities have safe drinking water.
- Voters overwhelmingly believe that government and elected officials have a major responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water in California.
Read the full memo from FM3 on survey results: California Voter Attitudes Toward a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund