- Survey Findings Unveiled at ACI & Good Housekeeping Institute’s 2021 Discover Cleaning Summit
- https://live.goodhousekeeping.com/discovercleaningsummit
New data from the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) reveals 7 out of ten Americans living with at least one other person have experienced disagreements when it comes to cleaning responsibilities. This data underscoring cleaning roles and responsibilities at home was highlighted at the Discover Cleaning 2021: Cleaning is Caring Summit, the second annual virtual event hosted by ACI and the Good Housekeeping Institute.
The survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of ACI also shows that, when it comes to gender roles, 82% of women report feeling they are responsible for the majority of household cleaning, while 54% of men report owning the responsibility.
Americans’ perceptions of cleaning underwent a monumental shift during the COVID-19 pandemic from mundane chore to the critical action in which people care for their loved ones’ health and safety. In fact, 70% of Americans connect cleaning to the protection of themselves and their families’ health, compared to only 30% of respondents who view cleaning as just a chore. In just 2018, only 7% of Americans reported cleaning as a way to prevent the spread of germs and illness.
The Discover Cleaning 2021 Summit examined the role cleaning plays when it comes to protecting health, maintaining a clean and healthy home, engaging in our communities and other aspects of daily life. As part of the Cleaning for our Families: Why Cleaning is a Family Affair panel, experts convened to examine cleaning through the lens of family, and how many navigate the responsibilities of cleaning.
“The pandemic changed so much about daily life, including how we clean. Today, cleaning is so much more than just a chore – it’s how we show we care for ourselves, our friends and family, our community and our planet,” said Melissa Hockstad, ACI President & CEO.
For resources, tips and guidance on proper cleaning practices and how to tackle cleaning in all facets of daily life, visit www.cleaninginstitute.org.
The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.
These findings emerged from two Ipsos polls conducted February 16 – 17, 2021 and September 07 – 08, 2021, on behalf of the American Cleaning Institute. For the surveys, samples of 1,005 and 1,004 adults age 18 and over from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii were interviewed online in English. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for all respondents.