The following questions were asked of 1,015 Generation Y adults (501 men and 514 women ages 18-29). The independent consumer research study was completed by Echo Research March 2-6, 2011, on behalf of the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
Which of the following best describes your current living arrangements?
- Live with at least one other person (76%)
- Spouse or significant other (28%)
- Parents (19%)
- Roommates – not in college (18%)
- Children (4%)
- Live alone (16%)
- Live part-time at home and school (3%)
- Other/Don’t Know (5%)
How long have you been living at your current location?
- Less than 6 months (13%)
- 6 months – 1 year (19%)
- 1-2 years (22%)
- More than 2 years (44%)
- Mean (18 months)
How important is having a clean home/living space to you?
- Very or somewhat important (96%)
- Not very or not at all important (4%)
How likely are you to spring clean this year?
- Very or somewhat likely (82%), including 85% of women and 78% of men
- Not very or not at all likely (15%)
What are your spring cleaning “hot spots? This question was asked only of the 833 Generation Y respondents likely to spring clean in 2011 (393 men and 440 women).
- Bedroom (73%)
- Kitchen (65%)
- Bathrooms (65%)
- Closets/clothes (60%)
- Floors (58%)
- Windows (49%)
- Desks/workstations/home office space (46%)
- Furnishings (45%)
- Garage (34%)
Which of the following best describes your spring cleaning habits?
- I use spring cleaning as my time to clean my home from head-to-toe (26%)
- I clean regularly, do I don’t need to spring clean (25%)
- I spend a little more time cleaning this time of year than usual (20%)
- I clean from head-to-toe often, but not necessarily in spring (14%)
To what extent do you agree with the following: Spring cleaning is a tradition worth carrying on.
- Strongly or somewhat agree (74%)
- Somewhat or strongly disagree (21%)
To what extent do you agree with the following: Spring cleaning news reminds me to clean up my living space.
- Strongly or somewhat agree (63%)
- Somewhat or strongly disagree (32%)
To what extent do you agree with the following: If it wasn’t for spring cleaning, I would probably never clean.
- Strongly or somewhat agree (23%), including 30% of men
- Somewhat or strongly disagree (75%)
How likely are you to do each of the following when cleaning your home/living space? (Total, Men, Women)
- Donate old clothes to charity (76%, 68%, 84%)
- Clean/disinfect countertops (91%, 86%, 96%)
- Clean underneath/behind furnishings (78%, 75%, 81%)
- Clean floors/carpet (92%, 88%, 86%)
- Clean/wash windows (72%, 69%, 74%)
- Reorganize (88%, 84%, 93%)
- Swap out seasonal clothes (67%, 63%, 71%)
- Declutter (88%, 84%, 93%)
- Clean your cell phones/smart phone/computer keyboard (74%, 73%, 74%)
What motivates you to clean? (Total, Men, Women)
- Space looking dirty/messy (71%, 64%, 79%)
- A visitor arriving (67%, 58%, 76%)Fed up with dirt and mess (62%, 56%, 69%)
- Having free time (61%, 57%, 66%)
- Being disorganized (58%, 50%, 66%)
- Spring cleaning season (37%, 29%