Gen Z's cleaning habits may reflect growing up in a world shaped by COVID-19, according to a recent study conducted by Ecovacs, a home service robotics company.
The study suggests that stereotypes of young people as disorganized and lazy may no longer be accurate.
Broadly, the report covers daily routines, common challenges, and unorthodox behaviors, broken down by gender, generation, and socioeconomic status. Ecovacs surveyed 1,000 US citizens.
The survey revealed generational differences in cleaning behaviors. For example, the study found that Gen Z cleans their rooms 16 times per month, while Baby Boomers clean only 11 times per month. Additionally, one in five Gen Z individuals disinfects everything they bring home, compared to one in nine Baby Boomers.
This data highlights a trend that could be attributed to the generation's experience growing up during a massive pandemic. Could an emphasis on cleanliness stem from the need to be hypervigilant of germs? One statistic that supports this possibility is the likelihood of Gen Z to disinfect what they bring into their homes.
Since CDC reports suggested infection could spread through contaminated surfaces or objects, disinfecting items became a widespread practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is possible that Gen Z has carried this habit over into daily life.
Men rely more on roommate or partner to clean
In terms of gender differences, men and women clean equally often, around 14 times per month; however, differences emerge in perceptions of responsibility. According to their data, Ecovacs found that 70% of women report doing most of the cleaning, compared to 58.4% of men. Additionally, while 21% of men rely on a roommate or partner to clean, only 8.8% of women do the same.
Although these patterns suggest that cleaning itself may be equally frequent across genders, the burden of who’s “responsible” still reflects traditional stereotypes.