Consumer handwashing: Appendices

Appendix 1: Fieldwork dates and sample sizes

Survey Wave number	Data collection dates	Sample size
Wave 1	10 to 13 April 2020	2,039
Wave 2	10 to 14 July 2020	2,068
Wave 3	16 to 20 October 2020	2,067
Wave 4	15 to 18 January 2021	2,062
Wave 5	16 to 19 April 2021	2,049
Wave 6	16 to 19 July 2021	2,051
Wave 7	15 to 19 October 2021	2,017
Wave 8	14 to 18 January 2022	2,066

Appendix 2: Key changes to lockdown restrictions

Table 2: Key changes to lockdown restrictions

Information sourced from Institute for Government. Key information for England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been included (as these 3 nations were included in the sample for the Handwashing consumer tracker survey).  
 

Date or period	Event
23 March 2020	Start of first national (UK) lockdown and ‘stay at home’ order. Legally came into force 26 March.
10 May 2020	PM announces a conditional plan for lifting lockdown, those who cannot work from home return to work but avoid public transport. Guidance applies in England whilst Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply their own rules and guidance.
June 2020	1 June - phased re-opening of schools.  Re-opening of non-essential shops  23 June - PM announces relaxing of restrictions and 2m social distancing rule.
July 2020	More restrictions eased (reopening of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers). First localised lockdowns coming into force in UK in Leicester and parts of Leicestershire Advice on self-isolation changed from 7 to 10 days. Face coverings mandatory on public transport in Northern Ireland.
August 2020	3 August - ‘Eat out to Help Out’ scheme begins in the UK. 14 August - Further easing of lockdown restrictions (reopening indoor theatres, bowling alleys and soft play). Face coverings mandatory in shops, schools and public transport in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
September 2020	‘Rule of Six’ with indoor and outdoor social gatherings above six banned. Return to working from home.  Schools re-opened in rest of the UK. 23 September - Localised lockdowns in Northern Ireland.
October 2020	A new three tier lock down system introduced in England.  16 October – four week ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown in Northern Ireland.
November 2020	5 November - second national lockdown comes into force in England. 9 November - Welsh 17-day ‘firebreak’ national lockdown comes to an end.  27 November - National lockdown in Northern Ireland.
December 2020	2 December - second national lockdown ends after four weeks, England returns to three-tier system. Vaccination programme begins in care homes. 19 December - Tier 4 restrictions in London and South East England. Single-day Christmas restrictions announced.
January 2021	UK enters third national lockdown. Vaccination programme rolled out to people aged 70-79.
February 2021	Beginning of ‘Roadmap out of lockdown’ starts.
March 2021	Beginning of March - Schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reopen, Phase 2 of school opening in Scotland. ‘Stay at home’ order remains in place until 29 March, when outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households are also allowed. Mid-March - first stages of lockdown easing in Wales and Northern Ireland. Phased re-opening of schools. Ending of coronavirus border controls into the UK.
April 2021	Beginning of April: non-essential retail, hairdressers, public buildings and gyms re-open. Outdoor venues including pubs, restaurants open. Outdoor venues re-open in Wales. All students return to face-to-face education.  No indoor mixing between different households allowed.
May 2021	Mid-May indoor venues reopen, including pubs and restaurants. Limit of 30 people allowed to mix outdoors in England.
July 2021	19 July - all legal limits on social contact removed and the final closed sectors of the economy reopen.
August 2021	Wales no legal limits on social contact.
December 2021	Omicron variant. ‘Plan B’ measures in England introduced (face masks compulsory in most public venues, NHS Covid Pass mandatory in specific settings) and work from home guidance reintroduced.
January 2022	England to move to ‘Plan A’ (face coverings no longer compulsory, including in schools). Restrictions in other nations lifted. Work from home guidance lifted. Isolation period reduced from seven to five days.
February 2022	England: all Covid restrictions lifted. Wales: Facemasks no longer compulsory in all settings. Northern Ireland: remaining restrictions lifted.
March 2022	Covid travel rules end. Wales: Face coverings only required in health and care settings.

Appendix 3: Survey questions

The list of survey questions provided is based on the most recent collection (Survey wave 8, January 2022). Some small changes were made to the survey between survey waves 1 (April 2020) and survey wave 2 (July 2020), these are denoted in footnotes. Since survey wave 2, the questions have remained consistent. Full survey scripts for each wave are available on request. 

1)    Thinking about when you are at home at the moment. How often, if at all, do you wash your hands? Please select one answer for each statement. 

a)    Before cooking a meal or preparing food 
b)    Before eating 
c)    After contact with animals, including pets 
d)    After handling rubbish 
e)    When you get home, for example, after a trip out of your home 

i.    Never 
ii.    Sometimes  
iii.    Most of the time  
iv.    Always 
v.    Not applicable 
 
2)    Thinking about when you are at home at the moment, how often do you wash your hands in each of the following ways? Select only one per statement 

a)    With water on its own 
b)    With soap/handwash and warm water 
c)    With soap/handwash and cold water 
d)    With hand sanitising wipes or gel 
 
i.    Never 
ii.    Sometimes  
iii.    Most of the time  
iv.    Always 
v.    Prefer not to say ^{(footnote 1)}

3)    Thinking about when you are at home at the moment. How many seconds do you spend washing your hands each time? ^{(footnote 2)} Please type your answer using whole numbers (whole numbers only no ranges)

4)    Thinking about eating outside of your home at the moment. How often, if at all, do you wash your hands, or use hand sanitising wipes or gels before eating in the following situation? ^{(footnote 3).} Please choose one per situation 
 
a)    a picnic outside of the home 
b)    eating in a restaurant 
c)    consuming a take-away outside of the home 
d)    eating snacks (like crisps, nuts, raisins or an ice cream) with your hands outside of the home 
 
i.    Never 
ii.    Sometimes 
iii.    Most of the time 
iv.    Always 
v.    I am not doing this activity at the moment

5)    Does frequently washing your hands result in you having sore hands?  Please select only one.

a)    Yes – to go question 6 
b)    No – skip to question 7 
 
6)     [Only ask if 'yes’ at Question 5] What impact, if any, does getting sore hands have on the frequency with which you wash your hands?  Please select only one 
 
a)    I wash my hands a lot more often 
b)    I wash my hands a little more often 
c)    It makes no difference to how often I wash my hands 
d)    I wash my hands a little less often  
e)    I wash my hands a lot less often 
f)    I avoid washing my hands  
g)    Don’t know
 
7)    At the moment, how often, if at all, do you wash your hands …? ^{(footnote 4)}  Please select one answer for each statement. 
 
a)    After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing into your hands 
b)    After using the toilet 
 
i.    Never  
ii.    Sometimes  
iii.    Most of the time  
iv.    Always 
v.    Prefer not to say ^{(footnote 5)}
 
8)    At the moment what action, if any, do you usually take if handwashing facilities are not available? ^{(footnote 6)}  Please select one answer for each situation 
  
a)    after using public transport 
b)    before drinking in a pub 
c)    attending a sports event 
d)    attending a social event 

i.    I don’t take any action and live with it 
ii.    I carry and use hand sanitising gel 
iii.    I carry and use wet wipes or tissues 
iv.    I wash my hands at the next available opportunity 
v.    I am not doing this activity at the moment
 
9)    How often, if at all, do you find handwashing facilities are not available, or not usable, in the following places at the moment? ^{(footnote 7)}  Please select one answer for each place 
 
a)    takeaways 
b)    cafes and restaurants 
c)    pubs/clubs 
d)    sports and music events 
e)    cinema and theatre venues 
f)    public toilets 
 
i.    Never  
ii.    Sometimes  
iii.    Most of the time  
iv.    Always 
v.    I am not doing this activity at the moment ^{(footnote 8)}
  
10)    As part of your current job role, do you handle open food? (This might be a voluntary or paid role). By open food, we mean food products or ingredients that will be consumed by other people which are not protected by packing. ^{(footnote 9)}  Please select only one 
 
a)    Yes – I am currently in a role that handles food 
b)    Yes - but I’m not working due to furlough 
c)    No 
 
11)    Do you have any pets at home? ^{(footnote 10)} Please select only one

a)    Yes 
b)    No   

Appendix 4: Detailed graphs for handwashing inside the home

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75, 10-13 April 2020 (2,039), 10-14 July 2020 (2,068), 16-20 October 2020 (2,067), 15-18 January 2021 (2,062), 16-19 April 2021 (2,049), 16-19 July 2021 (2,051), 15-19 October 2021 (2,017), 14-18 January 2022 (2,066). Values may not add to 100% as ‘not applicable’ responses are not shown.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75, 10-13 April 2020 (2,039), 10-14 July 2020 (2,068), 16-20 October 2020 (2,067), 15-18 January 2021 (2,062), 16-19 April 2021 (2,049), 16-19 July 2021 (2,051), 15-19 October 2021 (2,017), 14-18 January 2022 (2,066). Values may not add to 100% as ‘not applicable’ responses are not shown.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75, 10-13 April 2020 (2,039), 10-14 July 2020 (2,068), 16-20 October 2020 (2,067), 15-18 January 2021 (2,062), 16-19 April 2021 (2,049), 16-19 July 2021 (2,051), 15-19 October 2021 (2,017), 14-18 January 2022 (2,066). Values may not add to 100% as ‘not applicable’ responses are not shown.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75, 10-13 April 2020 (2,039), 10-14 July 2020 (2,068), 16-20 October 2020 (2,067), 15-18 January 2021 (2,062), 16-19 April 2021 (2,049), 16-19 July 2021 (2,051), 15-19 October 2021 (2,017), 14-18 January 2022 (2,066). Values may not add to 100% as the “Not applicable” option is not charted.

Appendix 5: Detailed graphs for handwashing outside the home

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 11)}. 10-14th July 20 (1,139), 16-20th Oct 20 (1,114), 15-18th Jan 21 (1,041), 16-19th Apr 21 (1,300), 16-19th Jul 21 (1,473), 15-19th Oct 21 (1,409), 14-18th Jan 22 (1,413). Comparable data available from July 2020 only.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 12)}. 10-14th July 20 (1,049), 16-20th Oct 20 (1,365), 15-18th Jan 21 (1,085), 16-19th Apr 21 (1,278), 16-19th Jul 21 (1,600), 15-19th Oct 21 (1,664), 14-18th Jan 22 (1,736). Comparable data available from July 2020 only.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 13)}. 10-14th July 20 (1,114), 16-20th Oct 20 (1,173), 15-18th Jan 21 (1,133), 16-19th Apr 21 (1,335), 16-19th Jul 21 (1,457), 15-19th Oct 21 (1,475), 14-18th Jan 22 (1,510). Comparable data available from July 2020 only.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 14)}. 10-14th July 20 (1,338), 16-20th Oct 20 (1,434), 15-18th Jan 21 (1,279), 16-19th Apr 21 (1,552), 16-19th Jul 21 (1,674), 15-19th Oct 21 (1,648), 14-18th Jan 22 (1,701). Comparable data available from July 2020 only.

Appendix 6: Sample sizes for Figure 10

Table 3: Sample sizes for Figure 10. Participants who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 15)}.

 

Month	Takeaway	Cafes and Restaurants	Pubs/clubs	Sports and music events	Cinema and theatre venues	Public toilets
July 2020	892	790	670	525	555	869
October 2020	1,003	1,220	852	492	550	1,086
January 2021	983	825	617	617	658	1,000
April 2021	1,201	1,050	717	717	753	1,234
July 2021	1,342	1,509	861	861	978	1,455
October 2021	1,362	1,599	953	953	1,133	1,562
January 2022	1,399	1,685	1,063	1,063	1,245	1,065

Appendix 7: Sample sizes for Figures 11, 12 and 21 to 24

Table 4: Sample sizes for Figure 11 and 12. Participants who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 16)}. 

 

Month	After using public transport	Before drinking in a pub	Attending a sports event	Attending a social event
July 2020	954	769	669	913
October 2020	1,124	949	672	1,011
January 2021	1,037	741	700	849
April 2021	1,237	986	872	1,098
July 2021	1,398	1,241	1,005	1,358
October 2021	1,469	1,321	1,054	1,499
January 2022	1,495	1,346	1,096	1,474

Appendix 8: Detailed graphs for alternatives to handwashing in a range of scenarios outside of the home

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16 to 75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 17)}: A table of sample sizes for each wave are included in Appendix 7. Data is only comparable from July 2020 onwards.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 18)}: A table of sample sizes for each wave are included in Appendix 7. Data is only comparable from July 2020 onwards.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 19)}: A table of sample sizes for each wave are included in Appendix 7. Data is only comparable from July 2020 onwards.

Base: Online England, Wales and NI adults 16-75 who reported carrying out these activities at the time of data collection ^{(footnote 20)}: A table of sample sizes for each wave are included in Appendix 7. Data is only comparable from July 2020 onwards.