Survey of Bathing Preferences 2023

Objectives

This survey was conducted to determine personal preferences for bathing at home, as well as behaviors related to controlling temperature of bath water. Our hypothesis was that among people who enjoy taking baths, a common behavior for keeping bath water warm longer is to drain some cool water from the tub and add hot water. Results from this survey will be used to inform business planning for a small household appliance used by American consumers.

Methodology

A total of 17 questions were asked, primarily either single-choice or multiple-choice, with one optional free response question. Most questions allowed for an “other” response to capture perspectives that may not have been represented. Questions were developed by running a test survey to discover any problems ahead of launching the full survey.

Our target audience included United States adults age 18+. No incentive was offered for participation. Surveys were distributed via primarily social channels including Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, and NextDoor.

• Responses: 105 individual responses were collected.
• Format: The survey was created using Google Forms.
• Gender: Responses received were 61% female, 29.5% male, and 9.5% other.
• Distribution: Responses were received from 28 different U.S. states; California, Indiana, and Illinois had greater representation proportionally; some results were received from outside of the U.S.
• Age: Survey was open for adults 18+; results received were all between 18 and 90 years of age; 30-39 was the largest age group represented proportionally at 34.4%

Analysis

While a majority of respondents reported taking baths at home once a year or never, it was also the majority who indicated they generally enjoy taking baths.

The reasons given for taking a bath generally fell into grouping related to bath and/or bath water cleanliness, temperature, accessibility issues, general comfort, or not having access to a bath tub and/or enough water.

The most common response to bath water becoming cool was to drain some cool water from the tub basin and add additional hot water (59% of respondents), followed by ending their bath at that time (46.7% of respondents. With such a high number following this drain/refill behavior, there is a need among those who enjoy bathing for the water to remain warmer longer.

Survey participants also reported using an assortment of bath products (bath salts, oils, soaps) and entertainment products (speakers, phone/tablet, books, lights) during their bath or shower. The highest reported item was phone or tablet, with 38.1% of respondents. This indicates some level of comfort with electronic devices in the bath environment.

This survey also asked about other common home goods owned with 86.7% of respondents reporting to own at least one of the nine items listed. The list of items strategically included convenience small home appliances like Roomba and Keurig, smart devices like Nest and Smart Bulbs, hygiene items like bidet attachments, and home security systems like Ring.

Recommendations

Further research should include one-on-one interviews with consumers who report enjoying baths longer than 30 minutes.

In the process of completing the survey, we determined that it would be desirable to know if the survey respondents were home owners or renters. This would help to determine if consumers have choices related to the upgrade of their bath fixtures. Renters would make an ideal audience for portable devices used in the bathroom that don’t require major upgrades.

Interviews should also be conducted with bathers who reported using electronic devices like phones, tablets, speakers, or any others to determine their level of comfort having those battery operated devices with them as they bathe.