How Aware Are Consumers of Water Used in Agri‐Food Products? Exploring the Misconception Between the Perceived and the Actual Water Footprint

ABSTRACT Understanding the environmental impact of food production is critical to promoting sustainable consumption patterns. This study explores the gap between consumers' perceived water footprint (PWF) and the actual water footprint (AWF) of selected agri‐food products in Italy, including crop‐ and animal‐based products. A survey conducted through a questionnaire administered to a stratified sample of consumers (by sex, age, and educational level) provided data on PWF, compared to AWF values derived from literature sources. The empirical analysis employed Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) to quantify perception accuracy. Results indicate moderate alignment between PWF and AWF, evidenced by a low RMSE (0.314), suggesting limited deviation between perceived and actual values. However, the frequency distribution of the discrepancy term (PWF‐AWF) reveals a systematic negative shift, indicating a tendency to underestimate the water footprint (WF), particularly for animal‐based products. Olive oil and lamb/mutton showed the greatest perception gaps among crop‐ and animal‐based products. The analysis indicates that perception accuracy increases with age and educational attainment, while sex differences were marginal, though men underestimated the WF of animal products more than women. These findings suggest that consumer knowledge of water use in food production remains incomplete, particularly concerning indirect water use in livestock systems. Addressing this gap through targeted education and transparent labeling could support more informed dietary choices and water‐efficient practices aligned with the Agenda 2030. This study contributes to theory by identifying biases in water consumption perception and offering evidence for policy interventions aimed at enhancing public engagement with water sustainability.