30 HEALTH AND SAFETY
Concerns about COVID-19 persist , as 80 % of those questioned said they are more conscious about coming into contact with germs as a direct result of the coronavirus , a 5 % increase over last year .
The survey found that due to concerns over seasonal flu virus outbreaks , 74 % of respondents wash their hands more frequently or more thoroughly , and 58 % say they wash their hands frequently throughout the day during cold and flu seasons . These numbers have stayed consistent since 2022 .
When it comes to public restrooms , 89 % said they wash their hands after using such facilities . For those who said they did not do so , 54 % said it was due to lack of soap or paper towels and 47 % cited sinks that were dirty or faucets that did not work .
First conducted in 2009 and done annually since then , the survey found that 43 % believe the conditions of public restrooms are getting better and 35 % say they haven ’ t changed , while 11 % think they are getting worse .
Participants were also asked for their restroom pet peeves . Used paper towels on the floor or around the sink were the biggest ( 62 %), followed by splashed water on countertops and floors ( 46 %) and careless or reckless behaviour that damages the facility ( 41 %).
Additionally , roughly one in four respondents said they had dropped a personal item in a public restroom toilet , and three in four women reported having to use their foot to hold non-working stall door closed ( compared to 49 % of men ).
The survey should be a wake-up call to owners of restaurants and other establishments , as 58 % of respondents said unclean or unpleasant restrooms show poor management ( up from 52 % in 2023 ), 56 % say it lowers their opinion of the establishment , and 53 % say it shows the establishment does not care about them .
“ The state of a restroom can have a measurable impact since we ' ve found that consumers will avoid a business if it has poor restroom facilities ,” said Jon Dommisse , vice president of marketing and corporate communication for Bradley . “ Our goal with this research during the past 15 years has been to better understand hand-washing behaviour and identify restroom pain points to help facilities better serve the public .”
While making public restrooms cleaner and stocked more frequently with toilet paper , towels and soap topped the list of improvements that respondents would like to see ( 41 %), the second-most desired improvement was making everything touchless , at 34 %. Faucets , flushers and soap dispensers were considered the most important touchless features . PA