Satisfaction with sewerage services falls significantly in 2021, according to latest survey findings by DJS Research

Satisfaction with sewerage services falls significantly in 2021, according to latest survey findings: A survey by this company (DJS Research) has found that the proportion of people who are satisfied with sewerage services overall in England and Wales has fallen by seven percentage points to 78%, compared with 85% the previous year.  The Water Matters survey has been running for eleven years and in that time there has been a static trend for overall satisfaction with sewerage services, however the latest survey data reveals a change of direction, downward.  

 

The annual CCW Water Matters survey polled over 5,000 household water bill payers in England and Wales asking about their views and experiences of their water and sewerage services, as well as related charges.

 

Trust in water companies

 

The 2021 research also revealed that just 63% of consumers in England believe that their water company cares about the service they provide, a significant fall from the previous year when 71% said the same. Welsh consumers were found to be more likely to believe that their water company cares (73%), however this is still a significant fall from 2020 when it was 83%.

 

Trust in water companies has also fallen, the survey found. Despite improving over the last 11 years, trust levels have fallen according to the latest 2021 survey, from 7.87 (out of 10) in 2020 to 7.33 in 2021. This is the lowest score recorded since 2014.

 

 

Are charges fair and do they represent value for money?

 

When it comes to value for money for sewerage services there has also been a fall from 78% to 76%.  Satisfaction with value for money of water services has fallen from 76% in 2020 to 75% in 2021 but this is not a significant drop.

 

Around six in 10 households believe their water charges to be fair in the latest survey (62%), a significant fall on the previous year when 69% perceived them to be fair. Furthermore, the proportion of people who agreed that the charges were affordable has fallen significantly -- from 82% in 2020 to around three-quarters (76%) in the 2021 survey. Around one in 10 respondents also said that their water bills are now unaffordable, rising to one in eight in Wales.

 

Perceptions of overall experience of water and sewerage services also drops

 

Looking at the overall experience of water and sewerage services, the survey found that satisfaction has dropped to the lowest level since the question was introduced in 2017 (from 88% in 2020 to 84% in 2021).

 

Overall satisfaction with water services remains high

 

One key measure that has retained high performance figures is overall satisfaction with water services, which remains high with 91% saying they were satisfied, which the survey author notes has been consistent over the last eleven years .

 

You can see the full results here

Support Us...

We hope that you have found this article useful. This section is freely available for all to use. Please help support it by liking us or following us on our social media platforms:

Share this article...