A matter of good taste: Investigating preferences for in-house water treatment in peri-urban communities in Cambodia

It is commonly argued that low demand for in-house water treatment technologies is not simply due to their cost, but also results from their other unfavorable features, notably distaste or convenience problems. This research considers household preferences for in-house water treatment in two peri-urban communes around Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with a particular focus on taste. In an effort to measure sensitivity to taste problems, respondents from more than 900 households were given water samples treated with randomly assigned levels of chlorine, as well as a bottled water placebo, and were asked to compare their favorite samples with their existing drinking water source. Households were also asked to complete a series of conjoint tasks in which they selected their preferred drinking water alternative among options that varied in terms of cost, taste, effectiveness against diarrheal disease and quantity of water treated. Our findings suggest that households do perceive distaste for water treated with chlorine products, and that taste is an important feature of their selection of water treatment alternatives. Better understanding of the taste preferences of households in communities without access to safe water is thus critical to interventions seeking to promote in-house water treatment.