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Iowa Drinking Water Quality Survey 2026

water fountain

Context 

Iowa is one of only three states where the cancer rates are rising, and the state now has the second highest rate in the nation. Recent reports and news coverage have investigated the links between contaminated water and rising cancer rates in Iowa, including a recent POLITICO Magazine article which referred to water quality concerns' "increasingly undeniable tie to the state's signature industry: agriculture." (The article was written by CLF senior research associate Tom Philpott and a collaborating journalist, Nina Elkadi.) 

Earlier this year, in February, Food and Water Action conducted a poll in Iowa that shows strong cross-party support for new regulations on industrial agriculture to reduce pollution. This new survey, commissioned by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, provides additional findings about voters’ levels of concern and their feelings toward agriculture. 

Summary of Findings 

This public opinion survey of registered likely voters in Iowa found that drinking water quality is a key concern, alongside cost of living and health care. Sixty percent of respondents ranked drinking water quality and the environment among their top five (of nine) issues polled.  It also found that most respondents (84%) had recently heard about drinking water quality in Iowa— 85% of whom said what they heard made them more concerned.  Sixty-three percent of Iowa voters are concerned about the quality of their tap water at home. 

Methodology 

The mixed-mode survey, made up of online and text-to-web respondents, was conducted in July 2026 by GQR Research, a public opinion research firm. It drew responses from 800 likely voters in Iowa. The Iowa Environmental Council contributed to topics included in the survey.  

Key Findings 

  • In Iowa, drinking water quality is a bipartisan issue: 75% of Democrats, 62% of Independents, and 54% of Republicans say they are concerned about the quality of their tap water at home. 

  • 84% of Iowa voters report hearing about Iowa’s drinking water quality recently, and nearly half (47%) have heard a lot about this. 

  • 55% of respondents filter their tap water at least weekly, and 44% buy and drink bottled water at least weekly. 

  • Drinking water quality and the environment ranks as one of the most important issues to Iowa voters, just after cost of living, health care, and Social Security and Medicare.  

  • Iowans are favorable to the state’s agricultural industry (58% favorable), especially small and medium-sized independent farms (90% favorable). However, large-scale corporate industrial farming and national/multi-national agricultural corporations are very unpopular, with 76% and 67% unfavorable views respectively.    

For more information about the survey, please contact Patti Truant Anderson, policy director at CLF: ptruant1@jhu.edu.  

The survey was commissioned by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) as part of its Food Citizen Project and conducted by GQR Research, a public opinion research firm. The Iowa Environmental Council contributed to topics included in the survey.