Abstract This study attempts to shed some light on the truth as to the differences between bottled and tap water w whether people prefer bottled water due to its assumed health benefits. Whether there are health benefits truly associated with consuming bottled water instead of tap water is yet to be truly determined because expert opinions continue to suggest that “bottled water may be no safer or healthier than tap water” (Baumgartner, 2011, p.1). This study examines the various sentiments behind Americans’ desire for either bottled or tap water by looking at the preferences of a sample of students from a small Midwestern university.

Literature Review
In nearly every grocery store, convenience mart, office or employment setting, and most homes in America there is a presence of bottled water. If someone was born before the 1990’s, tap water was generally the only source of drinking water that was considered to be consumed daily. Today, bottled water is consumed at a rate very comparable to tap water. “In 2008, 8.67 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States resulting in an average annual per capita consumption of 28.5 gallons” (Sullivan, 2011, p. 10). Among colleagues, friends and family, preferences and beliefs about the purity differences of bottled water and tap water is a widely discussed topic. Although there is an ongoing debate as to whether bottled or tap water is healthier, a topic that cannot be debated is that bottled water consumption has been and is on the rise (Figure 1). Sources such as The FDA Consumer state that Americans purchased about “5 billion gallons in 2001” (Bullers, 2002, p. 14) as opposed to the 8.67 billion gallons consumed in 2008 (2011, p. 10).

Figure 1

There has been much debate about the accuracy of claims made by bottled water producers. “Evocative names and labels depicting pastoral scenes have