Report · Culture

Hygiene habits were the main reason people washed their hands during the pandemic

Reading

Most Americans (73%) point to personal hygiene habits as a reason they washed their hands during the pandemic, more than cite any other motivation, according to an August 2025 Verasight survey.

Nearly six-in-ten (59%) name a fear of COVID-19 infection and 47% public health advice, while fewer cite workplace or school policies (24%) or social expectations (23%). One-in-ten (10%) say no specific reason drove them.

Topline

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Selected responses

Hygiene habits were the main reason people washed their hands during the pandemic.

What were your primary motivations for hand-washing during the pandemic?

  • Personal hygiene habits 73.5%
  • Fear of COVID-19 infection 58.8%
  • Public health advice 47.1%
  • Workplace or school policies 24.4%
  • Social expectations 22.9%
  • I wasn’t motivated by any specific reasons to hand-wash during the pandemic 9.9%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

Verasight JSM Omnibus Survey

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-08-13 → 2025-08-18
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.1%
Module
Verasight JSM Omnibus Survey

Source

Citation

Verasight JSM Omnibus Survey, fielded August 13-18, 2025, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.1%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/jsm-2025

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.