{"id":2942,"date":"2025-06-30T13:04:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T17:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/?p=2942"},"modified":"2025-06-30T13:04:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T17:04:57","slug":"what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Decade of Surveying Residents Taught us about Water and Trust in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"big\"><big>For nearly a decade, the <a href=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)<\/a> has been asking a simple but essential question: <em class=\"ib bold\">What do residents think about their water service?<\/em><\/big><\/p>\n<p>Every year since 2016, in partnership with <a href=\"https:\/\/impact-ed.sas.upenn.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ImpactED<\/a> at the University of Pennsylvania, PWD has surveyed thousands of Philadelphians \u2014 from every zip code and neighborhood \u2014 to learn how people experience the city\u2019s water systems, billing, and services. The data tells a story of listening and learning, building trust, and most importantly \u2014 taking action.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Listening at scale<\/h2>\n<p>The full scope of this research effort is vast:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>43,000+ responses<\/strong> to annual, citywide surveys over almost a decade. In 2024, there were over 8,000 responses!<\/li>\n<li><strong>13,000+ responses<\/strong> to targeted surveys on specific programs such as customer assistance programs and the meter upgrade process.<\/li>\n<li><strong>48 focus groups and interviews<\/strong> with residents on everything from lead pipes to tap water, to customer service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>PWD has used this data not just to react \u2014 but to inform how it communicates, serves, and builds trust with the public.<\/p>\n<p>In the words of a resident who participated in a focus group: <em>\u201cI just want to know what\u2019s going on. If I feel informed, I feel respected.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>A few more numbers (that might surprise you)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>95%<\/strong> of nearly 10,000 customers rated their required meter upgrade experience as \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cgood\u201d \u2014 despite some negative media coverage.<\/li>\n<li>In 2024, <strong>more than three out of four<\/strong> customers reported satisfaction with their overall experience as a PWD customer and said they trust PWD to deliver safe drinking water to their home \u2014 the highest level since surveys began in 2016.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Over 75%<\/strong> of 3,500 customers who completed a survey after calling the contact center reported that their experience with the contact center representative was either \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cgood.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Your voice matters (really!)<\/h2>\n<h3>From skeptic to ambassador<\/h3>\n<div class=\"caption half right\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30627\" src=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/drink-more-tap-ambassador-at-philly-water-bar.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Early surveys revealed a persistent trend: nearly 40% of residents drink bottled water at home instead of tap. The data was even more telling when broken down \u2014 Black and Brown residents, people with lower incomes, and those with less formal education were significantly more likely to avoid tap water.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than chalk it up to preference, PWD decided to listen.<\/p>\n<p>That listening led to action: the <a href=\"https:\/\/drinkphillytap.org\/ambassadors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Drink Philly Tap Ambassador program<\/a>, recruited and trained residents from neighborhoods with high bottled water use. Ambassadors were equipped with facts about Philly\u2019s water quality, safety standards, and common misconceptions, and they brought that information back to their communities.<\/p>\n<h3>When people know more, they trust more<\/h3>\n<p>Survey after survey showed a strong link between awareness of the city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/wqr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Water Quality Report<\/a> and higher levels of trust and satisfaction with PWD. In other words, when residents know where their water comes from and how it\u2019s tested, they feel better about drinking it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"caption half left\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-30628 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/penrose-playground-drink-more-tap-mural.jpg\" alt=\"Two sides of a blocky brick building with multiple levels of flat roof are brightened by a bold and cheerful mural celebrating Philly's tap water - a background of bright turquoise water ripples overlaid with pink and yellow flowers and splashes and black and turquoise geometric patterns, and two grayscale portraits of a cool young black man in a white t-shirt and an excited and cheerful young black girl with braids, both sipping from reusable water bottles.\" \/>Penrose Playground <em class=\"block\">\u00a9 2019 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program \/ Calo\u00a0Rosa. <span class=\"ib\">Photo by Steve Weinik<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Using ZIP code-level data, PWD was able to focus outreach &#8211; digital communications, the <a href=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/waterbar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Philly Water Bar pop-up<\/a>, and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/drops\/drink-more-tap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Drink More Tap<\/a><\/em> murals at specific recreation centers &#8211; in neighborhoods with the lowest awareness. The results? Awareness of the Water Quality Report rose steadily \u2014 from 37% in 2021 to 55% in 2024 \u2014 with trust in PWD rising alongside it.<\/p>\n<p>We also use survey data to inform additional content that goes into the Water Quality Report each year. The data shows that roughly 1 in 3 customers don&#8217;t trust that the pipes in their homes are safe. We share information about ways to improve water quality at home and answer common customer questions.<\/p>\n<h3>Construction confusion? Here\u2019s a fix.<\/h3>\n<p>One of the top pain points for residents, year after year, has been construction. Not necessarily the work itself\u2014but the lack of information. Where is it happening? How long will it last? Who do I call?<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, survey responses made it clear: people didn\u2019t know where to find reliable info. So PWD launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/projects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dedicated construction website<\/a>, organized by ZIP code, to make it easier for neighbors to track projects in their area.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>What\u2019s next?<\/h2>\n<p>This isn\u2019t a one-time report. It\u2019s an ongoing conversation. By continuing to listen \u2014 and act \u2014 PWD will keep building a water system that works <em>with<\/em> residents, not just for them.<\/p>\n<p>And the next chapter starts soon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We&#8217;re launching our 2025 citywide survey this week \u2014 and we want to hear from you.<\/strong> Whether you\u2019ve got praise, concerns, or any other perspective to share, your voice matters. The survey is quick, confidential, and helps shape real changes at the Water Department.<\/p>\n<h3>Got something to say?<\/h3>\n<p>PWD is listening \u2014 and now\u2019s your chance to share your voice.<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button btn-lg mainblue-bg white bold\" href=\"https:\/\/pwdsurvey.com\/digital?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=owned&amp;utm_campaign=comprehensive-survey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Take the survey now!<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For nearly a decade, the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has been asking a simple but essential question: What do residents think about their water service? Every year since 2016, in partnership with ImpactED at the University of Pennsylvania, PWD has surveyed thousands of Philadelphians \u2014 from every zip code and neighborhood \u2014 to learn how [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":31005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"custom_css":"","custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[20,549,25,548,31,61,547,534,109],"class_list":["post-2942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","tag-colleges-and-universities","tag-construction","tag-customer-service","tag-drink-philly-tap","tag-drinking-water","tag-mural-arts-program","tag-philly-water-bar","tag-survey","tag-water-quality","wpautop"],"acf":{"suggested":null},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"http:\/\/phila.gov\/blog\/what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What a Decade of Surveying Residents Taught us about Water and Trust in Philadelphia","url":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Community","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Grace Maiorano"}],"creator":["Grace Maiorano"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"@PhillyH2O Blog","logo":""},"keywords":["colleges and universities","construction","customer service","drink philly tap","drinking water","mural arts program","philly water bar","survey","water quality"],"dateCreated":"2025-06-30T17:04:57Z","datePublished":"2025-06-30T17:04:57Z","dateModified":"2025-06-30T17:04:57Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"What a Decade of Surveying Residents Taught us about Water and Trust in Philadelphia\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/water.phila.gov\\\/blog\\\/what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/water.phila.gov\\\/blog\\\/what-a-decade-of-surveying-residents-taught-us-about-water-and-trust-in-philadelphia\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"\"},\"articleSection\":\"Community\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Grace Maiorano\"}],\"creator\":[\"Grace Maiorano\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"@PhillyH2O Blog\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"colleges and universities\",\"construction\",\"customer service\",\"drink philly tap\",\"drinking water\",\"mural arts program\",\"philly water bar\",\"survey\",\"water quality\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2025-06-30T17:04:57Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-30T17:04:57Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-30T17:04:57Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/phila.gov\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2942"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2980,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2942\/revisions\/2980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}