Cavendish Consulting has today published a new report, Turning the tide – how planned investment can reset the water sector’s reputation.
London, UK – Based on YouGov polling of more than 6,500 people across Great Britain, exclusively for Cavendish Consulting, the report reveals a striking contradiction at the heart of public opinion on water. While most people believe the water industry nationally is in trouble, they tend to think their own taps, pipes and rivers are performing better than the wider picture suggests.
The research uses a brand-new polling approach that looks at what customers think about their own water provider, rather than relying solely on general views of the sector. By surveying customers within each provider’s region, it uncovers sharp differences in perceptions between companies – and between national and local experiences.
The report reveals the contradiction that sits at the heart of a deepening reputational problem for the water sector. While a majority of the public say water supply and management in the UK is in a bad state, people are consistently more positive about the performance of their own water company and local area. In short – the crisis is seen as real – but less so at home.
This “perception gap” matters. The research suggests it dampens accountability, fuels cynicism, and makes it harder for the sector to rebuild trust at a time when public confidence is already extremely low. Just one in ten people say they trust water companies to tell the truth about themselves, and even the best performing companies are trusted by fewer than one in five of their own customers – pointing to a systemic credibility problem rather than a handful of bad actors.
The polling shows that environmental performance is the single biggest factor forging opinion. Sewage discharges and pollution dominate public concern, outweighing concerns over rising bills. More than four in ten people say pollution should be tackled even if it means higher water bills, underlining the importance of visible environmental progress to rebuilding trust.
The research also highlights a disconnect between reputation and reality. Some companies with the worst public reputations for sewage spills, which includes Thames Water and Southern Water, are in practice among the lowest actual dischargers. Others benefit from relatively middling perceptions despite poorer performance on discharge hours – adding to public confusion about who is really improving and who is not.
Views also differ sharply by age. Younger people, particularly Gen Z, are far less entrenched in their opinions of the water sector. They are more likely to say they don’t yet know what to think – and more likely to blame government and climate change, rather than water companies alone. That uncertainty represents one clear opportunity for the sector, that attitudes among younger customers are still forming.
These findings land as the industry enters its largest ever investment period. But the research suggests that fixing infrastructure alone will not be enough to immediately address the sector’s reputational challenges.
Samantha Clough, Executive Director at Cavendish, said:
“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. That disconnect matters for the water industry because it makes it harder for companies to rebuild confidence. 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.”
Link to full report here: https://hubs.la/Q048qJtr0
