Hand hygiene in public by age COVID U.S. 2020

In June 2020, U.S. adults aged 18-24 years were least likely to practice frequent hand hygiene in public, whereas those aged 65 years and older were the most likely. This statistic shows the share of U.S. adults who practiced frequent hand hygiene after contact with high-touch public surfaces, from June 24 to 30, 2020, by age group.

Percentage of U.S. adults who practiced frequent hand hygiene after contact with high-touch public surfaces in June 2020, by age group*

Characteristic	18-24 years	25-44 years	45-64 years	65 years and older	Overall
Wash hands	64.6%	76.8%	83%	83.3%	78.5%
Use hand sanitizer	59.8%	71.8%	72.5%	73.3%	70.7%

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Release date

October 2020

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

June 24 to 30, 2020

Number of respondents

4,817 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Special properties

U.S. adults who had been in public during the previous week

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

* Frequency of hand hygiene was assessed on a 5-point Likert scale from “Never” to “Always” using the following questions: “In the last week, how frequently did you use hand sanitizer after touching high-touch surfaces in public” and “In the last week, how frequently did you wash hands with soap and water after touching high-touch surfaces in public.” Answers of “Often” or “Always” were considered frequent.

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