Indonesians least likely to use hand sanitizer among ASEAN peers: YouGov survey
Indonesians are less likely to use hand sanitizer compared to citizens of other Southeast Asian countries, according to a recent survey by global public opinion and data company YouGov and Imperial College London.
The survey looked at COVID-19 preventative measures across six ASEAN countries and interviewed 12,999 adults aged 18 and over across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam between March 30 and April 27.
The survey found that only 66 percent of Indonesian respondents “always” or “frequently” used hand sanitizer in the past seven days, the lowest percentage among the six countries.
Many Singaporean respondents also did not use hand sanitizer, with only 68 percent saying they had done so. Thai respondents were the most likely to use the product at 89 percent, followed by Vietnam at 86 percent, the Philippines at 86 percent and Malaysia at 77 percent.
Around 87 percent of Indonesian respondents said they “always” or “frequently” wore face masks in the past seven days, putting Indonesia ahead of only Singapore (66 percent).
Indonesian respondents were, however, likely to avoid both going out in general and attending large gatherings. Eight percent of Indonesians said they “rarely” or “never” avoided going out, while 5 percent said they were not avoiding large gatherings.
Government officials have encouraged the use of face masks and urged people to stay at home to stem the spread of COVID-19, though no national-level regulations have made such measures compulsory. Large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) enacted by regional administrations such as Jakarta are more stringent, with residents facing fines if they do not wear masks in public.