Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Americans have become ‘germaphobes’ after pandemic – survey

Americans have become ‘germaphobes’ after pandemic – survey

Over two in three people confessed to becoming ‘germaphobes’ following two years of Covid
Over two out of three Americans have become ‘germaphobes’ since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in the US in March 2020, according to a recent survey by Xlear and OnePoll published on Wednesday. Some 69% of respondents said they had adopted new hygiene practices in order to avoid falling ill, from wearing masks and gloves to washing their hands more often.

More than two thirds of the newly-minted germaphobes - 68% - said they have prioritized their hygiene, with 62% claiming their cleansing habits have “permanently changed for the better” thanks to the pandemic.

The outbreak has also increased levels of guilt surrounding cleanliness. While 88% of respondents said their hygiene was important to them, almost three out of five - 57% - lamented that they didn’t treat their bodies as well as they should. More than half blamed themselves for not washing their hands enough, and 55% blamed their “poor hygiene practices” for previous bouts of illness, with 71% stating they would have adopted stricter habits sooner had they known the effect on their health.

Forty percent of Americans have named taking better care of their health as their top goal for 2022, and just over half want to treat their bodies better (51%) - or simply feel healthier (52%). Seven out of 10 said they would “do nearly anything” to be sick less often.

However, Xlear’s Dr. Lon Jones believes the nose is the missing piece in Americans’ poor health. “Keeping the nose clean is important because essentially all respiratory problems begin there,” he said in a statement accompanying the survey, suggesting that those seeking improved health start with taking better care of their noses. The company’s CEO Nathan Jones concurred, boasting that he was an “avid nose washer.”

The number of Americans embracing their germaphobia has shot up since last year. A March 2021 survey found just 42% of Americans identified as germaphobes, with 79% of those embracing that new identity as a good thing. However, 41% of respondents expressed impatience with the endless messaging about hand washing and other hygiene measures aimed at quelling the coronavirus. Apparently, a sizable chunk of those have now learned to start worrying and love the mask.

The US has been one of the worst-hit nations by Covid-19, with upwards of 900,000 people having died with the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, many of those with multiple comorbidities such as obesity and cancer.

American healthcare is rated the worst out of all developed nations, as well as the most expensive.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×