Customer Spotlight: Public views and experiences of water

Woman stands at the kitchen sink drinking from a glass of water

Our joint Customer Spotlight research with Ofwat explores customers’ views and experiences of water, including their understanding and awareness of water companies, and their views on affordability, satisfaction and trust. This is this third wave of the Customer Spotlight, following previous waves carried out in 2021 and 2023 respectively, and builds on previous research by tracking how peoples’ perceptions have continued to evolve. The latest survey was carried out among over 2,300 adults across England and Wales, between November and December 2025. Although we saw improvements in some customer trust scores from previous years, overall satisfaction has continued to decrease since the Customer Spotlight tracking survey began.

We will continue to monitor changing customer sentiments, to track whether or not this represents longer-term negative trends, both in future Customer Spotlight surveys as well as in other research. CCW’s flagship annual Water Matters research is due to be published in May and will explore many of these themes in greater detail.

Key findings

Satisfaction continues to fall

Satisfaction with water services has dropped to 55% (from 65% in Wave 1) and wastewater services to 47% (down from 56% in Wave 1).
Water providers have also seen a significant decrease in likelihood of respondents to recommend them compared to previous waves (65%, down from 71% in Wave 1 and 69% in Wave 2).
This is despite significant increases among other utility providers, including electricity, landline and gas.

Trust remains low

Only 33% of respondents agree that their water company provides a good service.
40% believe companies prioritise profit over customers; this is up significantly from the Wave 1 score (33%).
Some trust measures have improved since Wave 2, but overall confidence remains below 2021 levels.

Gaps in customer understanding of the water sector

32% of customers incorrectly believe they can switch water company – this is up significantly from the previous wave (25%).
Fewer people understand companies’ responsibilities for pipes and repairs, suggesting growing confusion.

More customers are contacting their company

35% contacted their water company in the past year (up from 24% in Wave 2).
Water bill payers are paying closer attention to their bills than Waves 1 and 2, including for more specific reasons such as reducing water usage, submitting new meter readings, and contacting providers.

Environmental issues

Just over a quarter (28%) of customers agree that they trust water providers to do what’s right for the environment (vs. 23% in Wave 2), and that providers act in the interests of the environment (25% vs. 21% in Wave 2). While this is an improvement on the previous score, it is still below Wave 1.
We also saw customers saying that they were less likely than previously to try and use less water in the home (87% vs. 90% in Wave 1, and 91% in Wave 2).
Customers’ top priorities remain safe drinking water, fixing leaks and preventing sewage entering homes and waterways.