Objective To investigate public awareness of Standards for Drinking Water Quality(GB 5749-2006), public concern about hygienic problems of drinking water, and the effects of promotion and implementation of the 'Standards'.

Methods Twelve provinces (municipalities) including Beijing and Hebei were selected from six regions of China—North China, Northeast China, East China, South Central China, Southwest China, and Northwest China. The survey applied stratified sampling by province (municipality), city (district), and community. The chi-square test and rank sum test were used for data analysis.

Results Among 1 648 respondents who returned valid questionnaires, 1 156 knew of the 'Standards', accounting for 70.1% of the total respondents.After weight conversion by the education level of Chinese population, the awareness rate of the 'Standards' was about 64.7%. There were significant differences in the awareness rates and ways to know the 'Standards' among different aged groups and among different educational backgrounds (χ²=19.09, 19.53, P < 0.05). Fifty-seven percent of the respondents answered that they had some (or much) understanding of local tap water quality. There was a significant difference in the level of understanding of water quality among different educational backgrounds (χ²=9.578, P < 0.05). The most concerned water quality index was microorganism index (86.0%), and the most concerned hygienic issue about drinking water was its impact on health (95.6%).

Conclusion The public has a high awareness rate of the 'Standards' through the strong publicity from the governments and health institutions. The authorities should further strengthen the promotion and implementation of the 'Standards', improve promotional contents and forms to promote the safety of drinking water.