According to an Ifop survey carried out online for Unbottled (a French brand of hygiene products without plastic or chemicals, editor's note) between October 6 and 7 with a representative sample of 1,014 people aged 18 and over and residing in metropolitan France, the French wash their hands less regularly than in March, despite the hammering out messages on respect for hygiene rules.
So, while 86% of French people washed their hands on their way home during confinement, only 63% do so today.
On the other hand, out of 100 people questioned, 81 washed their hands before going to the table in March, compared to 65 in October.
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The study also notes that today there are fewer people respecting hygiene practices such as the use of a disposable tissue (53% in October compared to 63% in March), hand washing after going to the toilet (77% in October versus 81% in March) or protecting yourself with an arm or a tissue when coughing (56% in October versus 69% in March).
On the other hand, hand washing after traveling by public transport has still been widely respected and stable since March: 71% of French people say they respect this measure.
According to Ifop, this trend is explained by the anxiety-provoking nature of public transport and the fear of being contaminated there.
According to the polling institute, this relaxation in respecting barrier gestures mainly concerns young people, even if it is observed for all age groups.
For example, today 39% of 18-25 year-olds wash their hands before eating, compared to 67% in March.
On the other hand, people considered to be "
good students
" respectful of barrier gestures by Ifop, namely women and residents of provincial agglomerations, have also let their guard down when it comes to hand washing.
Thus, the number of women washing their hands before going to the table is down 18 percentage points compared to March.
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Ifop has also found a correlation between less respect for hand washing and refusal to wear a mask.
In fact, the proportion of people washing their hands on their way home is twice as low among those who rarely wear a mask (30%) than among those who routinely wear one outside their home (79%).
Laxness in hand washing seems to highlight the exceptional nature of compliance with hygiene instructions during confinement.
"
The data collected at the end of March thus showed an exceptionally high level in the systemic practice of hand washing
", indicates Ifop in the results of its study.
"
If the Covid-19 has highlighted the role of hand hygiene in the fight against manual transport - transmission of the virus through contact with the hands - this virus is not for autan at the origin of a revolution in the hygienic culture of the French.
Admittedly, the notion of 'barrier gestures', unknown to the general public until a year ago, seems to have entered people's minds, and handwashing compliance rates have all increased since the start of the year. year.
However, it is clear that the French are struggling to respect the instructions as scrupulously as they did at the time of confinement, no doubt because hand washing is no longer the only means of protection available to them today
”, affirms François Kraus, director of the News department of Ifop.
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While the second wave of Covid-19 hits France, the issue of hand washing and respect for hygiene practices seems to be once again a challenge for the authorities in the prevention of contamination.
Washing your hands regularly is all the more important since a Japanese study said this month that the coronavirus survives 9 hours on the skin, 5 times longer than the flu virus.
"
The nine hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 (the strain of the virus that causes Covid-19 disease) on human skin may increase the risk of transmission by contact compared to the IAV (Influenza A Virus or influenza A), thus accelerating the pandemic
”, indicates the study.
This supports the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for regular hand washing.