Currently, 45% of Romanians most often choose to consume bottled water, compared to 58% in 2021. According to Reveal Marketing Reserch, the majority of Romanians continue to consume bottled, still (33%) or carbonated (12%) water most often, 21% choose to filter water at the sink with a tap filter or filter cup, while 17% say who prefer to drink water from the sink without filtering it.

• 33% of Romanians most often use still bottled water, and 12% – carbonated bottled water.

• 4 out of 10 Romanians believe that they can drink water directly from the sink without any harm to their health

• Affordability is the most important criterion that influences the decision to buy bottled, still (56%) and carbonated (50%) water.

Interest in the consumption of bottled water, still or carbonated, recorded a significant decline, currently reaching 58% to 45%.

A potential motivation for this change in consumer behavior is the increase in product prices (including bottled water), an aspect that makes Romanians actively seek more economical alternatives.

Turning our attention to the evolution of opinions about sink water, 1 in 2 Romanians still believe that it is not fully drinkable if it is not filtered.

On the other hand, the percentage of those who believe that they can drink water directly from the sink without any harm to their health increases from 30% in 2021 to 38% in 2023. This attitude is shared much more by mature people over 56 years old (51%).

h2. What quantity do Romanians prefer when they buy bottled water?

Still water is indispensable in the daily diet and consumers prefer to buy it in larger quantities to cover their needs. Thus, most Romanians most often buy 2 L (60%) or 5 L (56 %) packages, followed by 1 L and 0.5 L, both with 36 %. Generation Z (18-24 years old) is much more interested in purchasing volumes under 0.5L (57%) or 1L (64%) and is also the age group that prefers to have a bottle of water on the go. (88% versus 67% of the total sample).

If we talk about carbonated mineral water, the 2-liter bottles (65%), which are much more preferred by people aged 45-55 (74%), continue to be popular. 1L (30%) and 0.5L (28%) bottles are next in the top of preferences.

Affordability is the most important criterion that influences the decision to buy bottled, still (56%) and carbonated (50%) water.

If two years ago the main criterion by which most Romanians chose bottled water was quality, now Romanians are more interested in price

Thus, in the case of mineral water, the most important identified criteria are affordable price (56%), package size (37%), water composition (31%) and previous experience with the brand (30%).

If we mention carbonated mineral water, the first place is affordable price (50%), followed by previous experience with the brand (30%), product quality (29%) and package size (27%). For people aged 45–55, product quality is a much more important factor compared to the general sample (37%).

The study also recorded the most important attributes of bottled water. So, both in the case of still and in the case of carbonated mineral water, the most important characteristics are the same: origin from a natural source (47%, respectively 50%), high quality of the product (42%, respectively 46%). %) and affordability (40% and 43%, respectively).

The most common time to consume still bottled water is at home (79%), on the go (67%) or at work/study (67%). On the other hand, carbonated mineral water is more often consumed at home (65%) or on terraces/restaurants (61%).