Pilot study of people’s perceptions about the meaning of the terms clean and hygienic. 2017

In 2017 IFH carried out a pilot study of 117 members of the public to find out what they understood by the terms "cleanliness" and "hygiene".  Whereas about half of those questioned said that hygiene is more then cleanliness - it is about protecting health, a significant proportion said that hygiene and cleanliness meant the same thing. About 1 in 10 people said that cleanliness means use of soap and water or wiping, whilst hygiene means using a disinfectant.