One in 25 men and one in 30 women shower just once a week, poll reveals

One in 25 British men and one in 30 women have a bath or shower just once a week, a new poll has revealed.

Based on the numbers of men and women in the UK at the last major census in 2011, that’s at least 1.24 million men and 960,000 women who bath or shower once every seven days.

The numbers were revealed as part of a poll by YouGov Omnibus and Yahoo News UK which asked 2,034 Britons how often, on average, they tend to have a shower or both.

Nearly half of people (49%) shower or bath once a day – the largest proportion by far.

One in five people (20%) shower or bath four to six times a week, followed closely by 18% who bathe two to three times a week.

Six in every 100 people (6%) shower more than once a day – the same percentage for both men and women.

But three in every 100 people (3%) admitted to having a shower or bath just once a week – 4% for men and 3% for women – the equivalent of one in 25 men and roughly one in 30 women.

One in 100 men said they bathe once a month or less than once a month, but 0% of women fell into that category.

Listen to the full episode of Britain is a Nation of… below

The poll features in the latest episode of Yahoo’s Britain Is a Nation Of… which looks at statistics surrounding people’s personal hygiene.

The results suggest that young people tend to be less hygiene-conscious than their older counterparts, with 18-24-year-olds twice as likely to shower once a week than older age groups.

Speaking on the podcast, Dr Daniel Atkinson, clinical director at online consultation and prescription service Treated.com, said while most people shower or bath once a day, that might not be completely necessary.

“It’s kind of a routine isn’t it, it’s part of my waking-up routine, having a shower,” he said.

“But it’s probably not necessary and we’ve probably only been doing it since it became convenient to have a bathroom in your house.

“Actually once or twice a week is probably enough as long as you’re washing below the belt and on your face.”

To hear more unpacking of statistics about British people, listen to the full episode above, or download it on Apple Podcasts, Acast, or Spotify to listen while on the go.