Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Drinking Water: Self-Reported Water Quality, Use of Filters, or Purchase of Bottled Water: Use of Filters or Bottled Water for Home Drinking Water, New Jersey, 2011 to 2017
Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
Water is used for many purposes including drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, and recreation. Because water use is so common in daily life, there are many opportunities for contaminated water to impact people.
New Jersey has over 600 community water systems which provide drinking water to approximately 87% of the State's population. However, about 13 percent of New Jersey residents obtain their drinking water from private wells.
Definition
Percent of NJ residents self-reporting water quality by category, and use of filters or bottled water.
Data Notes
Survey Question: "Which of the following describes the water you drink at home most often: unfiltered tap water, filtered tap water, bottled or vended water, water from another source ?". Question was asked as part of survey in 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017. Question was not asked in 2012, 2014 or 2015.Data Source
Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, Center for Health Statistics, New Jersey Department of Health(http://www.nj.gov/health/chs/njbrfs/)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator:
Number of people age 18 years and older self-reporting quality of water by category, and use of filters or bottled water.Denominator:
Total number of persons aged 18 and older interviewed during the same survey period.
Data Issues
Data from the New Jersey Behavioral Risk Factor Survey are intended to be representative of all non-institutionalized adult residents of New Jersey. Due to resource issues, however, adults with limited personal access to phone service or limited command of either English or Spanish are not represented. As with all surveys, also, some error results from nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), and faulty measurement (e.g., responses affected by social desirability or recall error). Data collection procedures intended to minimize such errors include the use of strict calling protocols, good questionnaire design, standardization of interviewer behavior, interviewer training, and frequent, on-site interviewer monitoring and supervision. Statistical weighting procedures are also used to minimize the potential impact of disproportionate representation of demographic subgroups defined in terms of age, sex, race, ethnicity, education level, marital status, home ownership, and county of residence. (See also Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Data Description and Technical Notes.)Related Relevant Population Characteristics Indicators:
Related Risk Factors Indicators:
- Arsenic in Private Wells
- Nitrate in Private Wells
- Fecal Coliform or E. coli in Private Wells
- Gross Alpha in Private Wells
- Mercury in Private Wells
- Arsenic in Community Drinking Water Systems
- Disinfection By Products in Community Drinking Water Systems
- Nitrate in Community Drinking Water Systems
- Private Well Usage: Self-Reported as Main Source of Drinking Water
- Tetrachloroethylene in Community Drinking Water Systems
- Radium in Community Drinking Water Systems
- Trichloroethylene in Community Drinking Water Systems
- Uranium in Community Drinking Water Systems