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For Germans and Their Undies, Parting is Sweet Sorrow

July 6, 2004

A recent survey on Germans and their hygiene habits may leave a stain on the Teutonic reputation for cleanliness: It says more than a third of the country's men don’t change their underwear every day.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GjJ
There might not be much to them, but they still need to be changedImage: AP

Those who think that funny smell in a crowded subway has to do with a lack of deodorant may want to think again. But then again, maybe ignorance is bliss.

A recent survey of 2,500 Germans over the age of 14 revealed that a mere 62 percent of German men and 80 percent of German women slip into a fresh pair of underpants every day.

The study, conducted by the Marplan Institute in Offenbach, suggests that the problem gets worse with age. A full 67 percent of males aged between 14 and 54 change their skivvies daily, compared to just 50 percent of men over the age of 55.

Women emerged from the survey looking slighty more decent. 90 percent of ladies between the age of 14 and 34 insist on fresh panties on a daily basis. But as they get older, even their good habits start to slip. Only 85 percent of 35 to 54 year olds start the day with fresh smalls, and by the time they have reached the age of 55, that figure has dropped to 67 percent.

Some folks -- 4.5 percent of men and 2.1 percent of women -- actually owned up to only changing their drawers once a week.

When it comes to general cleanliness, women are marginally more game for a wash than men. Although, with just 39 percent of women and 37 percent of men taking a daily shower, neither gender could exactly be accused of going overboard when it comes to scrubbing up.