Print this page

Key Findings of International Hygiene Survey 2008

October 8, 2008

All information below refers to the International Consumer Hygiene Study 2008 in which 10,000 consumers were surveyed across 10 countries.

* Please note: some findings are lacking data from all ten countries as they chose to opt out of including the question in the survey. Where not marked, all other findings include information gathered from all ten countries.

Overall key findings

  • Over half (51%) of people believe ‘washing hands regularly’ is the most effective way to help protect against catching flu according to International Hygiene Survey 2008. However, only 28% use soap with antibacterial properties; two thirds (61%) of people usually use ‘regular hand soap’. (*This finding does not include statistics from the USA)
  • A fifth (21%) of people think ‘avoiding public places’ is the second best way to help protect against catching the flu (*This finding does not include statistics from the USA)
  • Nearly two thirds (61%) of people usually use ‘regular hand soap’ over anything else to wash their hands. The only place where this is not the case is in Great Britain where over half use antibacterial soap (51%)
  • Worldwide, the use of ‘antibacterial liquid hand soap and running water’ to wash hands has increased in the last year; in 2008, 28% of people are using antibacterial liquid hand soap, compared to 24% in 2007.
  • More than two in five people (44%) believe the ‘rubbish bin’ poses the greatest risk of transmitting germs to them or their child, over the kitchen tap, bathroom sink and bathtub. This is compared to nearly a third (30%) who think the ‘toilet seat’ poses the greatest risk
  • Australian children are least likely to ALWAYS washing their hands before eating (only 29%); children in Malaysia and India are most likely to ALWAYS wash their hands before eating (80% and 79% respectively)
  • The majority of respondants (53%) said they wash their hands for 10 seconds or less (24% for 5 seconds and 29% for 10 seconds) when actually the optimal time is 20 seconds
  • Two thirds of people in India and Saudi Arabia claim to clean and disinfect their bathtub/shower EVERY day (63% and 64% respectively), while only 4% do in Australia
  • Only 3 in 5 (59%) people claim their children ALWAYS wash their hands before eating. A quarter said ‘most’ of the time (26%), 9% sometimes, 2% rarely and 1% never (3% refused to answer)
  • A third (31%) of people believe surface disinfection on a regular basis is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs in the home (second to ‘washing hands regularly) (*This finding does not include statistics from the USA)
  • Over two thirds (68%) of people worldwide do NOT use an antibacterial or disinfectant kitchen cleaner to clean kitchen surfaces. [More people choose to use a regular kitchen cleaner, without disinfectant or antibacterial (37%).] (*This finding does not include statistics from GB)

Country specific messages

Australia

  • The number of Australians believing the ‘rubbish bin’ is the household surface posing the greatest risk of transmitting germs to them or their child has dropped from 75% in 2007 to 45% in 2008. The ‘toilet seat’ and kitchen tap are also seen as threats in 2008 (25% and 13% respectively)
  • Only 29% of people in Australia said their children ALWAYS wash their hands before eating (42% said most of the time,19% said sometimes, 6% said rarely and 2% said never)
  • Only 4% of Australians clean and disinfect their bathtub/shower every day with the majority opting for once a month (55%)

    Canada

  • 9 out of ten Canadians believe the best way to avoid flu is to ‘wash hands regularly’ and 7 out of ten Canadians (69%) believe ‘washing hands regularly’ is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs in the home – more than any other country surveyed
  • 4 out of 5 (80%) of Canadians think the school/day care facility poses the greatest danger to children in terms of picking up harmful germs; over half (52%) think the school or day care teacher is very important in terms of educating children on good germ prevention habit. 9 in 10 respondents in Quebec think school/day care facility poses the greatest threat, compared to 8 in 10 or less in other regions
  • Parents/guardians are perceived as the most important people in educating children about germ prevention over school teachers and doctors
  • Those who did not graduate from High School view parents as less important in educating children about germ prevention, compared to those respondents who did graduate
  • Canadian’s are confused about the best ways to prevent the spread of germs. A fifth (21%) of people think ‘avoiding public places’ is the second best way to help protect against catching the flu

    GB

  • Britain leads the way in antibacterial hand washing over other countries (51% of people in GB use antibacterial soap compared to 47% Americans, 42% of Australians, 32% of Indians, 29% Saudi Arabians, 28% of Canadians, 21% Malaysians, 16% South Africans, 13% Italians and 10% of Germans)
  • In GB, 3 in 5 women (60%) use antibacterial soap, compared to 2 in 5 men (43%)
  • Over half (55%) of Brits think washing hands regularly is the best way to prevent the spread of germs in the home, while nearly 2 in 5 (37%) believe surface disinfection on a regular basis is the answer
  • Nearly two thirds of Brits (63%) think they have become more aware of the importance of hygiene in the last few years. However this is 4% less than in 2007
  • Nearly all (94%) of under 18s in Britain think they have become more aware of the importance of hygiene over the last few years
  • Only 1 in 10 children in East Anglia and 1/4 of children in the South West wash their hands before eating every day, compared to approximately 50% of children in other regions of the UK
  • (36%) women and (30%) men in Great Britain clean and disinfect their bath/shower every day
  • More people in Wales, East Anglia and Yorkshire (> 70%) have become aware of the importance of hygiene over the last few years compared to other UK regions (< 70%)

    Germany

  • Germany is the least likely country to use antibacterial soap when hand washing, despite having doubled its use since 2007 (5%). Only 1 in 10 people in Germany use antibacterial soap to wash their hands (10%), compared to 51% of people in GB and 42% of Australians
  • 5% of adults in Germany said their children NEVER wash their hands before eating; more than twice as much as all other countries
  • Since 2007, the number of people who believe that regular hand washing is the best way to protect against flu has increased by 15%, and is one of the most significant improvements compared to all other countries questioned

    India

  • The number of people in India who believe the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs in the home is to ‘wash hands regularly’ has increased from 29% in 2007 to nearly half the population (45%) in 2008. The same proportion (44%) in 2008 believe regular hand washing is the best way to protect against flu, compared to 33% in 2007. However, only a third use antibacterial soap to wash hands; 44% use regular soap and 11% just use running water
  • Nearly 1 in 3 people in India (27%) wash their hands for a full 1 minute after using the toilet, compared to 11% of Australians and 14% of South Africans and beaten only by Italians (28%)
  • More than 2 in 5 people in India (44%) believe that the toilet seat poses the greatest risk of transmitting germs to children compared to only 1 in 5 who believe the rubbish bin poses the greatest risk (16%)India is one of only two countries surveyed who believe the toilet seat poses a greater risk than the rubbish bin

    Italy

  • Italy is the only country where majority (58%) of people believe ‘avoiding public places’ is the most effective way to help protect against catching flu. All other countries believe the most effective way is to wash hands regularly. (*This finding does not include statistics from the USA)
  • In Italy, the only age group which believes that washing hands regularly is the best way to avoid flu are those under the age of 18 years (58%). All other age groups over 18 years believe ‘avoiding public places’ is the best way to avoid flu
  • 21% of 35-44 yr old Italians usually wash their hands with antibacterial liquid soap compared to just 6% of under 18s
  • In Italy, approximately a third (33%) of men, and over 2 in 5 (45%) women clean and disinfect their bath/shower every day

    Malaysia

  • Half (50%) of Malaysians do not use a kitchen cleaner or disinfectant to clean kitchen surfaces in their home. Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) of Malaysians just use a dry cloth and a third just use a cloth and water (32%)
  • People in the South and North regions of Malaysia are more likely to clean and disinfect their bathtub/shower every day (59% and 38% respectively), this is compared to only once a week in the centre region (44%) and 2 or 3 times a week in the east (32%)
  • More than 1 in 10 Malaysians (12%) believe that preventing animals from entering the house is the best way to prevent the spread of germs in the home

    Saudi Arabia

  • People in Saudi Arabia are the most likely to use running water ONLY when washing hands (13%), compared to other countries surveyed, followed by India (11%). All other countries showed less than 1 in 10 people just using running water to wash hands
  • Nearly a quarter (24%) of people in Saudi Arabia believe preventing animals from entering the house is the best way to prevent the spread of germs in the home, more than washing hands regularly and avoiding close physical contract with family and friends
  • Nearly a quarter (23%) of people in Saudi Arabia believe the best way to prevent the spread of germs in the home is to prevent animals from entering the house, more than any other country surveyed

    South Africa

  • Nearly half (46%) of South Africans believe ‘washing hands regularly’ is the most effective way to help protect against catching flu and 47% think washing hands regularly is the best way to prevent the spread of germs in the home. Interestingly, however, only 16% of South Africans wash their hands with antibacterial liquid hand soap; the majority (59%) use regular hand soap and 21% just use running water, without soap
  • 4% of South Africans admit their children rarely wash their hands before eating
  • Nearly a third of South Africans (29%) think surface disinfection is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs in the home, yet only 18% wipe their surfaces with an antibacterial cloth or disinfectant kitchen cleaner. Over half (54%) just use a regular kitchen cleaner and 9% use just a cloth and water
  • Educated South Africans are more likely to wash their hands with antibacterial liquid soap than those who are uneducated. Nearly half (43%) university graduates said they usually use antibacterial soap, compared to just 8% of those who have received some primary or secondary education. Of those which have had no formal education, none use antibacterial soap; three quarters (75%) use running water and regular hand soap, 17% use running water ONLY

    U.S.A.

  • America is practically equally divided in hand washing habits. 48% wash with just running water and regular soap, while 47% are using antibacterial liquid hand soap
  • Two in five (39%) Americans are as much concerned about an infant coming into contact with harmful germs in the home as outside of the home
  • A quarter of Americans (25%) think they are most likely to come into contact with harmful germs in the kitchen or from the kitchen cloth (this is supportive by home study results). 18% suggested the refrigerator door, however, this is the appliance they are least likely to disinfect regularly (49%) – contradicted by 100% cleanliness in home study results
    •