Today is the International Handwashing Day : an awareness day which, when it was launched in 2008, wanted to remind people that an act as banal and simple as washing hands with soap and water was the most effective way to fight against the spread of virus. At the time, a survey carried out for a brand of hygiene products showed that hand washing was not a priority for all French people. Including during an epidemic of influenza, degastro or bronchiolitis.
This World Day takes on a whole new meaning this year, since hand washing is one of the barrier gestures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Yet, according to an Ifop poll for Unbottled , there would be a lot of relaxation since the deconfinement! “The French are struggling to respect the instructions as scrupulously as at the time of confinement”, explains François Klaus, director of the news department of Ifop, on France Info.
Thus, the French are less numerous than in spring to systematically wash their hands:
- On returning home : 63% in October against 75% in July and 86% in March.
- Before going to the table : 65% in October against 81% in March.
- After blowing your nose : 37% in October against 56% in March.
- After going to the bathroom : 77% in October against 81% in March.
The only proportion that has remained stable since March is the number of people (70%) who wash their hands after taking public transport.
In video: washing your hands well in 8 steps
Visible sagging in young people
This trend is much stronger among the youngest (the 25-34 age group) since at home, the systematic handwashing before eating is down 25 points compared to March. For young people under 25, this drop is 28%. By way of comparison, this practice has decreased by 11 points among people aged 35 to 49 since March and by 16 points among those aged 50 to 64.
If you are not asked to fall insoap addiction, it is important that you review barrier gestures. Be intractable on hygiene!
Source : Ifop study for Unbottled carried out online from 6 to 7 October 2020 with a sample of 1,014 people representative of the population residing in France.
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