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Polish women and elderly most likely to follow advice on epidemic: study

08.04.2020 07:00
Women, graduates and the elderly in Poland most often say they follow official advice aiming to curb the coronavirus epidemic, while men and younger people are less eager, according to a study.
Image:  mohamed Hassan Pixabay
Image: mohamed Hassan /Pixabay Pixabay License

"Women follow all recommendations significantly more than men," said the psychologists who carried out the survey.

The study found that 71 percent of men and 87 percent of women were no longer greeting people by shaking hands.

And 87 percent of women said they were washing or disinfecting their hands while outside their home. The figure for men was 75 percent.

Older people listen to advice more

Age played a role too, the survey found. "Younger people follow all the recommendations less than the older people, with one exception - older people go shopping more often," the researchers said.

The survey was carried out on March 23-24, with 1,098 people across Poland asked about their habits during the epidemic.

The study found that the vast majority of Poles said they were following official advice.

In total, 87 percent of respondents said they were avoiding public gatherings.

And 85 percent said they were trying to limit the time they spent outside their home. The same number said they were keeping a distance of over 1 metre from others when outdoors, and that they covered their mouths when sneezing and coughing.

The survey was carried out by psychologists from the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS).

Health and government officials have urged Poles to stay home and practice social distancing during the epidemic. Public gatherings of more than two people have been banned.

The government has also limited the operations of shopping malls and closed all pubs, clubs and entertainment venues.

(pk/gs)

Source: PAP