According a National Survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation
International on behalf of Kimberly-Clark, more people fear germs in
restrooms than any other public place.
Respondents said they believed they were most likely to pick up germs
in the following places:
-----------------------------------
Place Percentage
-----------------------------------
Public Bathrooms 39%
Restaurants 21%
Airplanes 20%
Subways and trains 11%
Movie theaters 4%
-----------------------------------
Excerpt:
?More people are afraid of getting sick from germs in a public
restroom than in any other public place, according to a national
survey of 1007 adults released today. Thirty-nine percent of
respondents said they believed they were most likely to pick up other
people?s germs in a public bathroom. Restaurants came in next at 21
percent, followed by airplanes (20%), subways and trains (11%), and
movie theaters (4%). The survey was conducted by Opinion Research
Corporation International on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Professional.?
Kimberly-Clark Professional Press Release
http://www.kcprofessional.com/download/Press%20Release/issasurvey01rel.10.17.01.pdf
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From PR Web:
?More people are afraid of getting sick from germs in a public
restroom than in any other public place, according to a national
survey. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they believed they
were most likely to pick up other people?s germs in a public bathroom.
Restaurants came in next at 21 percent, followed by airplanes (20%),
subways and trains (11%), and movie theaters (4%). Since germs and
unsanitary conditions go hand-in-hand, it?s not surprising that
?unclean conditions? were most apt to lead to a bad impression of a
public restroom, according to 66 percent of respondents. ?No toilet
paper? was a distant second (13%), followed by odors (11%).?
PR Web: September 2004
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/9/prwebxml152817.php
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According to a recent poll conducted by Georgia-Pacific Corp.,
Atlanta, nearly 30 percent of Americans perceive themselves to be at a
high risk of catching germs at public restrooms.
Excerpts:
?Nearly 30 percent of Americans avoid public restrooms out of fear of
germs, according to a recent poll conducted by Georgia-Pacific Corp.,
Atlanta. Many of the common illnesses transmitted in public restrooms
include colds and flu, skin infections, intestinal illnesses and also
potentially fatal illnesses, such as those caused by salmonella
bacteria, E. coli and hepatitis.?
(. . .)
?Forty percent of those who do use public restrooms, such as those in
gas stations, flush with their feet as opposed to their hands,?
according to the Georgia-Pacific poll.
Another 20 percent use towels to shield their hands from the objects
and a full 60 percent of respondents said they don?t touch a thing in
a public bathroom ? they squat over toilets instead of sit and simply
don?t flush the toilet.?
?Four out of five respondents are concerned about germs in public bathrooms,
according to the Georgia-Pacific poll.?
Cleanlink
http://www.cleanlink.com/sm/article.asp?id=541
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Women perceive that public restrooms are full of germs.
?A trip to the toilet in a public place can be a nerve-wracking
experience for many women ? not to mention a test of their gymnastic
skills. Driven by a popular misconception that touching objects in
public restrooms can transmit venereal disease or other germs, some
women hover over toilet seats rather than sitting on them and even
attempt to navigate the entire trip to the ladies' room without laying
hands on doorknobs or faucet handles.?
?Despite the perception that restrooms are festooned with filth,
that's simply not the case. When scientists tested surfaces in 15
average households, they found that the toilet seat was always the
cleanest site, the New Scientist reports. Surveys in public toilets
reveal the same thing.?
WBAL Channel
http://wbal-tvhealth.ip2m.com/index.cfm?pt=itemDetail&item_id=6454&site_cat_id=87
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Information from a recent survey on germs:
Excerpts:
The survey, conducted by a polling firm on behalf of Dr. Charles
Gerba, a professor at the University of Arizona and so well-known an
expert on environmental microbiology that his nickname is ?Dr. Germ,?
was given over the phone to 1,000 representative adults, aged 18 and
older. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
?Most people have a skewed perception of where germs really lurk in
the environment.?
?People were given a similar list of public items, including picnic
tables, amusement park turnstiles, playground equipment, escalator
handrails, shopping cart handles and Port-o-Potties. Not surprisingly,
the most popular choice for germiest public item was the Port-o-Potty,
shopping cart handles were second, escalator handrails third,
playground equipment fourth and amusement park turnstiles and picnic
tables tied for fifth.?
(. . .)
?Other questions asked people to choose which of two items is the
germiest. Among the mistaken ideas: 64 percent guessed that a public
restroom doorknob has more germs than an ATM, when in fact, the ATM
has more--probably because more of the hands that touch a public
restroom doorknob have just been washed than the hands that touch an
ATM.?
Do You Know Where Germs Lurk: Edward Willett
http://www.edwardwillett.com/Columns/germlurking.htm
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Germ Survey- Summary of Findings
What the Public Thinks is the Germiest
9% Playground equipment
16% Escalator handrails
30% Shopping cart handles
4% Picnic table
34% Port-o-Potty
4% Amusement Park Turnstile
Which has the most germs between?
An ATM and a public restroom doorknob
?Sixty-four percent of the public guessed that a public restroom doorknob
has more germs, but a typical ATM has been proven to have more. The key
difference in this situation is the number of clean versus dirty hands
that touch each of these items.?
A toilet seat in a fast food restaurant and a toilet seat on
an airplane
?Seventy-five percent of the public guessed that a toilet seat in a
fast food restaurant has more germs, when in fact, a toilet seat on an
airplane has more. (According to Dr. Gerba, this can be attributed in
part to the frequency with which each are cleaned on a daily basis.)?
A Port-o-Potty and a picnic table
?Similarly, 76% of the public guessed that a Port-o-Potty has more
germs, but studies have shown that a picnic table has more. (According
to Dr. Gerba, this may be related to the frequency with which each is
cleaned.)?
Workplace:
?While most people are aware that the phone receiver is the germiest
place in the workplace, they are generally unaware desktops that and
keyboards can also be very dirty. People are slightly more familiar
with where germs are likely to be in a workplace, with two in five
(43%) correctly guessing that a phone receiver has the most germs in a
list of common workplace items. But, the second most common belief for
the germiest workplace item were the toilet seat (25%) and the
elevator button (17%), which are in fact the least germy items in the
list.?
UA News
http://uanews.org/pdfs/germsurvey.pdf
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The public?s fixation on germs and bacteria is growing.
?Public fear of restroom use combined with exposes on germs spreading
in hospitals and restaurants, as well as the alleged lack of
cleanliness of hotel rooms, defines the issues and the public?s
fixation.?
http://www.cmdistribution.com/article.asp?indexid=6633255
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Additional information that may interest you:
Here is an informative article regarding a recent Kimberly-Clark
survey revealing concerns about germs and the workplace
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:gNYmJswpci0J:www.fmlink.com/News/Articles/Kimberly.15898.html+Kimberly-Clark+survey+reveals+concerns+about+germs+and+the+workplace&hl=es
Stadium Restroom Survey
http://www.kcprofessional.com/download/Feature%20Article/Visitors_Want_Cleaner_Restrooms.pdf
WHAT BUGS PEOPLE MOST ABOUT STADIUM RESTROOMS?
http://www.kcprofessional.com/th/download/Press%20Release/StadiumSurvey.5.15.00.pdf
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Related information:
What is the top germ concern for 2004? The flu, according to survey
People are also asked how to fight workplace germs and get colleagues to wash up
http://www.kcprofessional.com/us/download/news/HealthandHysurvey.pdf
Bathroom is barometer of hotel cleanliness according to new survey.
?When asked how they determine if a hotel room is clean, nearly three
quarters of respondents said it was by the condition of the bathroom.
To top it off, when given a choice of what they would most like to
find after arriving in a hotel room, a truly clean room and bathroom
was the number one pick of half of those surveyed. Cleanliness ruled
over in-room amenities such as a whirlpool or spa (23 percent), a
fully connected ?office? (13 percent), a book and video library (6
percent), a working fireplace (3 percent), and milk and cookies (3
percent).?
Kimberely Clark
http://www.kcprofessional.com/us/download/Case%20Studies/Hotelsurvey11.07.02.pdf
Grocery Stores
http://www.kcprofessional.com/download/Press%20Release/grocerysurvey.09.20.01.pdf
Restaurants
http://www.kcprofessional.com/ie/?PageRequest=kc-news/news37.asp
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I hope you find this information helpful!
Best Regards,
Bobbie7 |
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