Half of French people are tightening their belts by reducing consumption of basic hygiene products such as shampoo and detergent for fear of lack of living expenses, a survey showed. Citing IFOP, a pollster, Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday that in a survey of 4,003 French adults from Nov. 14 to Nov. 20, 49 percent of the respondents said they were worried that their monthly living expenses would run out. In the survey, 41 percent of the respondents expressed anxiety that they could fall into poverty. Some 21 percent said they might have to rely on charity to buy food.
Economic anxiety has led to a decrease in consumption of sanitary products. Forty-seven percent of all respondents said the current economic situation is inducing them to limit or reduce consumption of sanitary products, and 17 percent said they have experienced a situation where they have to choose between food and sanitary products.
The French gave up most of the products needed to make their appearances look good, a survey showed. They mostly gave up makeup products (33 percent of women), hair dye (27 percent of women), and moisturizing products (24 percent). As a result, many French women said they stopped wearing makeup (37%) or dyeing (36%).
Not a few people gave up basic hygiene products. One in 10 people stopped buying basic hygiene products, with 9% of the respondents not buying shampoo and 8% saying they gave up toothpaste or shower gel.
The shrinking consumption also affected the hygiene-related lifestyle. Twenty-four percent of the respondents chose not to replace toothbrushes often, and 15 percent said they did not wash their hair as often as they wanted. Washing habits have also changed. Thirty-two percent of the respondents said they wear clothes longer to reduce the number of laundry, while 21 percent did not use detergent or reduced the amount of detergent. Twenty-two percent of the respondents also said they save toilet paper.
Although economic vulnerability and hygiene poverty indicators have improved slightly from last year, they have not recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels, IFOP said. “In particular, hygiene poverty is no longer a problem for the limited vulnerable, but is spreading to young people.” He then pointed out, “In order to prevent this crisis from being structured, access to essential products should be reconsidered as a means of social inclusion.”
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
