Featured Data August 31, 2022

Black Americans Don’t Trust Their Tap Water

Survey Center Staff

A storm and flooding in Mississippi has left tens of thousands of black residents without clean water. As a new water crisis gains national attention polling reveals a chronic crisis in confidence among black Americans when it comes to their water supply. Nationally, nearly seven in ten Black Americans say they would be uncomfortable drinking unfiltered tap water in their home. Among white Americans only 37 percent report they would be uncomfortable doing this. The racial disparity reflects existing inequities in public infrastructure. This is more than just a public health story, a recent post in American Storylines documents how ongoing infrastructure woes seriously undermine public confidence in local government.