Kwantlen Psychology Student Journal
Issue 2, July 2020
Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Using Social Influence to Reduce Paper Towel Use in University
Washrooms
Kevin Lee1, Alexandra Abbott, Laibah Waraich, Emily Poulin
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) Surrey campus
to reduce paper towel usage in washrooms. We conducted a pilot survey to address the barriers
and benefits of individuals reducing their paper towel consumption and found that people were
willing to reduce their paper towel usage but that one paper towel was inconvenient to dry one’s
hands. Our campaign aimed to address this and included a sign introducing the Shake and Fold
technique to help increase the effectiveness of using a single sheet of paper towel and address
this barrier. Additionally, a slogan accompanying the Shake and Fold instructions that targeted
social influence was also present on the sign to increase its effectiveness. Results were not
significant to determine if our sign had any effect on changing paper towel use habits.
According to our pilot surveys, individuals saw value in reducing paper towel consumption,
thus future research should continue to explore effective ways to reduce consumption.

1

Kevin.Lee15@email.kpu.ca; Written for Psychology and Sustainability (PSYC 4150). Special thanks to
Dr. Arleigh Reichl for recommending this submission.

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN, E.
Using Social Influence to Reduce Paper Towel Use in University Washrooms
While using paper towels may be considered the most common and preferred method
to dry one's hands, it is also regarded as unsustainable because people tend to consume more
paper towels than they actually need (Haines et al., 2011). Our campaign to promote sustainable
behaviour on campus, therefore, focused on reducing the amount of paper towels used by
students in washrooms. We found this to be important because using paper towels is a rather
frequent behaviour that we feel is abused on campus, as discussed in the “New Cintas Survey”
(2017). We conducted a pilot survey which included 11 questions and 38 participants from near
the washroom area to further understand how people feel towards reducing paper towel
consumption, and to address the benefits and barriers of reducing paper towel usage. We
predicted that targeting a behaviour such as this one could make a significant impact because it
is so prevalent. We also projected penetration to be low; penetration refers to how many people
already engage in a specific behaviour. We came to this conclusion because in our initial pilot
surveys, many people stated that they felt the use of a single sheet of paper towel was not
sufficient when drying their hands. We anticipated the probability of changing this behaviour
to be high based on our survey and literature review findings. The impact of this behaviour
change on the environment was also determined to be high, as behaviour change would reduce
overall consumption of waste. The use of paper towels is a non-divisible behaviour, which
means that the behaviour cannot be further simplified into smaller behaviours (McKenzieMohr, 2011). Reducing paper towel use can also be classified as an end-state behaviour which
provides the actual behavioural change because reducing paper towel consumption has a direct
effect on the environment as less of it is being consumed (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011). Considering
these factors, we believed this to be an important and changeable behaviour.
Current Literature
To further understand the best way to change this behaviour, we conducted a literature
review to gather information on behaviours regarding paper towel use and attitudes towards
this particular method of hand drying. In general, people prefer using paper towels over other
hand drying methods such as electric hand dryers (New Cintas Survey, 2017). Findings from a
Cintas Survey conducted in 2017 demonstrated that the preference for using paper towels
relates to its effectiveness and efficiency. Since convenience seems to be the main factor
delineating why people prefer to use paper towels, when this variable was manipulated by

REDUCE PAPER TOWEL USE
reducing the speed at which dispensers produce paper towels, people consumed less (Fox et al.,
2019). To determine what else could affect paper towel use, we also looked at a study which
found that the presence of recycling bins in the washrooms alongside garbage bins increased
paper towel consumption (Catlin & Wang, 2013). It was concluded that people justified
increased consumption because they were recycling their waste (Catlin & Wang, 2013). Based
on these findings, it seems people are not willing to change this preferred hand drying method.
Considering these barriers, we also sought out ways in which people can still engage in this
behaviour but in a more sustainable way. We considered incorporating the “Shake and Fold,”
a hand drying method that makes use of only one sheet of paper towel (Haines et al., 2011).
The use of nudges—subtle pushes that can change behaviour—can also be effective as
demonstrated by Haines et al. (2011), who found that when a sign demonstrating the Shake and
Fold was posted on paper towel dispensers, 40% of people used only a single sheet of paper
towel.
McKenzie-Mohr’s Approach
In order to change paper towel use on campus, we followed the approach of McKenzieMohr (2011) to fostering sustainable behaviour which involves five necessary steps. The first
step is to select a behaviour to change, and the behaviour should be end-state and non-divisible.
The second step, identifying behaviours and benefits, explains that before implementing a
campaign it is necessary to understand why people are not already engaging in this behaviour.
Identifying these can be done in a number of ways such as conducting literature reviews,
observing those who engage and do not engage in the desired behaviour, using a focus group
to gather more detailed information about the behaviour you are trying to change, and finally,
using surveys to obtain attitudes and behaviours of your target population. Once this
information has been gathered the next step, developing strategies, involves determining the
best way to design a campaign to change the behaviour of interest. Developing strategies
involves piloting the effectiveness of a campaign before implementing it on a broader scale.
This will help identify possible issues that may arise when launching the actual campaign.
Finally, broad-scale implementation and evaluation are when program application takes place
and its effectiveness is analyzed. Although not all steps were incorporated into this study, such
as piloting the intervention campaign, McKenzie-Mohr’s (2011), approach provided the
framework for our campaign.

3

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN, E.
Pilot
Methods
We surveyed 38 students on the KPU Surrey campus to gather additional information
on the barriers students may face when attempting to reduce the amount of paper towel they
consume. Students were recruited near the washrooms we were going to examine during our
baseline and experimental phases to increase the chance that the surveyed students were likely
going to use these selected washrooms. The survey was conducted anonymously on paper with
pen or pencil and each student completed the questions at their own pace. The survey had
qualitative and quantitative questions which were focused on finding out why people prefer to
use more than a single sheet of paper towel and how willing they would be to reduce
consumption. The survey had 11 questions and took approximately 2-4 minutes to be filled out.
Please see Appendix A for more information on our pilot survey. We found that a vast majority
of respondents felt that a single sheet of paper towel was insufficient when it comes to drying
their hands. Many also stated that they saw that there would be environmental benefits if they
reduced their overall paper towel consumption.
Our barriers and benefits research from our pilot surveys indicated that the most
significant barriers students projected facing when using only a single sheet of paper towel or
reducing in general, was that it would not be effective in drying their hands. Introduction of the
Shake and Fold technique breaks this barrier by introducing an effective way to use a single
sheet of paper towel, without compromising its convenience. We felt that targeting social
influence along with providing an effective method to reduce paper towel consumption would
be successful in getting students to use less paper towels.
Results
The results of our pilot surveys indicated that 84.2% of respondents found one sheet of
paper towel to be insufficient in hand-drying efficacy. Furthermore, 57.9% acknowledged that
using one sheet would significantly reduce waste and 36.8% said it would help the environment.
Responses to the close ended questions (as seen in Appendix A) also displayed that people find
one sheet of paper towel to be insufficient but believed that there would be positive impacts on
the environment by using a single sheet.
Discussion

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5

The results of our pilot survey informed us as to where we may face problems when
trying to get people to reduce their paper towel consumption. The most prevalent barrier people
anticipated when using less paper towels was that using less, specifically only one sheet, would
not be enough to dry their hands. However, people indicated that reducing their consumption
would have a positive impact on the environment, they are in favour of making this change, and
they think they would be able to reduce their consumption overall. Although many people
indicated that they think waste reduction is important, they also admitted to using more than
one sheet of paper towel to dry their hands. This is consistent with McKenzie-Mohr’s (2011)
conclusion that attitudes are not a strong predictor of behaviour. However, considering that
people seemed willing and able to reduce their use, and they believed this will have a positive
impact, we decided this change would be attainable. Specifically, since people indicated they
believe they can change this behaviour it seemed likely that this behaviour could be changed
(McKenzie-Mohr, 2011).
Our Campaign
Before implementing the campaign, we conducted a pilot survey to devise what our
goals would be for the main campaign. The results of our pilot study indicated that people
understand the value of reducing their paper towel consumption yet were not able to comply
with these views as using one paper towel seemed insufficient to dry one’s hands. With these
findings, we decided that simply promoting the Shake and Fold may not be an effective way to
get people to only use one sheet of paper towel. Therefore, we decided to also focus on how
manipulating social influence can help change this behaviour. Our new research question for
our campaign was changed to “Will targeting social influence lead people to use only one sheet
of paper towel to dry their hands?”.
Our campaign involved putting a sign on the paper towel dispensers in the washrooms
at the KPU Surrey campus’ Main building to influence people to reduce their paper towel
consumption, ideally down to just a single sheet. The sign read “The students who use this
washroom are willing to reduce the amount of paper towel they use...are you? Try the Shake &
Fold!” (See Figure 1). This was accompanied by a visual on how to perform the Shake and
Fold.
To get people to use only one sheet of paper towel, our campaign made use of social
influence through the presentation of social norms, particularly injunctive, which provide the

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN, E.
basis for which behaviours are acceptable and those which are not, and descriptive norms which
indicate behaviours most commonly used (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011). This was done by
highlighting that the students who use our target washrooms are actually willing to reduce their
paper towel use, making this seem like the most appropriate and commonly performed
behaviour. Also, the Shake and Fold instructions demonstrate a descriptive norm by showcasing
the desired behaviour. As indicated by McKenzie-Mohr (2011), descriptive norms that show
the undesired behaviour may have a reverse effect and increase the undesirable behaviour
instead of promoting the new behaviour. For this reason, our sign (see Figure 1) demonstrated
the Shake and Fold technique, instead of someone overconsuming paper towels accompanied
by a message deterring such a behaviour. Providing instructions on how to perform the Shake
and Fold also addressed the barrier people thought they would face when using only one sheet
by fully demonstrating how to use a single paper towel more effectively (McKenzie-Mohr,
2011). Speaking specifically to social norms and influence, a study by Goldstein, Griskevicius,
and Cialdini as cited in McKenzie-Mohr (2011), demonstrated that if people think that others
who are similar to them are also engaging in a behaviour, they are also likely to do so. This is
why our sign indicated that “students in this washroom are willing to reduce the amount of
paper towel they use.” We decided to target social influence as opposed to a knowledge-based
slogan because providing information about an issue may not be enough to lead to behavioural
change (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011).
Our signs also made effective use of prompts which are defined as a “visual or auditory
[indicator] which reminds us to carry out an activity that we might otherwise forget”
(McKenzie-Mohr, 2011). The signs were placed directly on paper towel dispensers, close to the
target behaviour, to prompt people as soon the behaviour was about to take place. The simplicity
and self-explanatory nature of our sign also made the behaviour easy to adopt; the step by step
Shake and Fold instructions made it easy to understand and follow. Finally, our approach
promoted a more sustainable method of use, instead of avoiding the consumption of paper
towels altogether because people may be more likely to accept the change if they feel they have
an element of choice.
Although our sign hit all the important elements of effective prompts, we also needed
to ensure it communicated our message by being vivid, concrete, and personalized as suggested
by McKenzie-Mohr (2011). Our information was vivid by using a bright green colour that

REDUCE PAPER TOWEL USE

7

would stand out, and we used clear images to convey the instructions. It was personalized
because it targeted not just KPU and its students, but KPU students in the specific washroom
that the individual was in. This made it more interesting and specific to that population. Our
message was also framed to demonstrate action rather than inaction, which is likely to be more
persuasive (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011).
We incorporated all the elements mentioned in our message to get people to engage in
problem-focused coping, which is more likely to lead people to take action (McKenzie-Mohr,
2011). We hoped that by informing people that other students are willing to make this change,
while providing simple instructions on how to do so, it would be easy for them to make this
change.
Main Study
The information gathered from our literature review helped determine the best way to
reduce paper towel consumption. Overall, people seem to prefer paper towels to dry their hands
for reasons such as it being more effective and convenient than other methods (“New Cintas
Survey”, 2017). Therefore we did not try to influence them to use another method such as
electric hand dryers because it seemed people would be unwilling to switch. The findings from
Fox et al. (2019) also informed us of the importance of convenience and what motivates people
to use paper towels over other methods. Considering these findings, we projected that
incorporating the Shake and Fold method would not interfere with the convenience of using
paper towels and would lead people to use less (see Haines et al., 2011). Based on our pilot
survey results and literature reviews, we first hypothesized that the overall amount of paper
towels used in the target washrooms would decrease from before our signs were posted until
after we posted our signs. We also hypothesized that there would be fewer paper towels used
in the washrooms with signs posted compared to washrooms without our signs posted during
the treatment period.
Methods
The main study began with collecting data on paper towel use for our baseline, which
took place in our first week of measurements. Four washrooms were selected from the KPU
Surrey campus’ Main building. To ensure consistency, we selected washrooms that contained
the same type of paper towel dispensers. Gender differences were not examined because we did
not collect data on participants but instead focused on the amount of paper towel being used

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN, E.
overall. Data for paper towel usage was gathered and calculated by measuring the diameter of
each roll so that we could observe any changes in overall paper towel roll volume between our
measurement periods. In both women’s washrooms, measurements were made on Tuesdays
and Thursdays at 1:00p.m., 4:00p.m., and 7:00p.m. over three weeks. Measurements were made
on Mondays and Tuesdays at 1:00p.m., 4:00p.m., and 7:00p.m. over three weeks in both men’s
washrooms.
The experimental condition immediately followed our baseline condition and took place
over the course of the next two weeks. The signs read “The students who use this washroom
are willing to reduce their paper towel usage...are you? Try the Shake & Fold!”, which was
accompanied by an image demonstrating the Shake and Fold technique (see Figure 1). Signs
were posted directly on the paper towel dispensers to ensure they were visible. We posted signs
in two different washrooms on the second floor of the Surrey Main Building, while the
washrooms on the third floor were randomly assigned as control conditions and never received
signs.
Results
For convenience and clarity, data on overall paper towel use was averaged across the two
treatment weeks and average paper towel use per three-hour intervals for control and
experimental conditions in each week is shown in Figure 2.
Baseline Versus Treatment Periods
To test the first hypothesis, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to
evaluate if there was a significant difference in overall paper towel use before and after we
posted our signs in just our experimental condition washrooms. The independent variable was
the period of measurement: before having our signs posted (baseline) and after having our signs
posted on paper towel dispensers (treatment). The dependent variable was the overall amount
of paper towels used in a three-hour interval, and this value was calculated by finding
differences in paper towel roll volumes at the beginning and end of each interval. We found no
significant differences in overall paper towel use between baseline and treatment weeks, F(1,
14) = 0.42, p = .53, η = .03. Table 1 shows the means, standard deviations, and 95% confidence
2

intervals of the overall amount of paper towels used in a three-hour interval before and after
our signs were posted in the experimental condition washrooms.
Control Versus Experimental Conditions

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9

Another one-way ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the effects of posting our signs
on overall paper towel usage over the course of the two treatment weeks. In this case, the
independent variable was washroom conditions, where the control washrooms had no sign
posted and the treatment washrooms had our sign posted on paper towel dispensers. The
dependent variable was the overall amount of paper towels used in a three-hour interval. We
found that there was no significant difference in overall paper towel use in washrooms that had
our sign posted and washrooms that did not, F(1, 18) = 0.24, p = .63, η = .01. Table 2 shows
2

the means, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals of the overall amount of paper
towels used in a three-hour interval in both washroom conditions.
Discussion
This experiment examined the effects of posting our sign onto paper towel dispensers
in washrooms as a strategy to change paper towel usage. The results indicated that posting our
signs did not decrease paper towel usage over the measurement periods and there were no
significant differences between the experimental and control conditions.
As mentioned previously, the results of our pilot surveys revealed that students found it
difficult to decrease paper towel consumption because just a single sheet was usually not
enough to effectively dry their hands. Even though participants expressed that they were aware
of the environmental benefits of reducing paper towel use, they did not want to give up the
ability to fully dry their hands. The implementation of the Shake and Fold technique was
intended to break this barrier by demonstrating an effective way to use a single paper towel, but
the technique in itself could have introduced more barriers. For example, people may find that
it is more convenient to use more than a single paper towel, rather than putting in the effort to
shake off their hands and fold a sheet in half. Haines et al. (2011) found that presenting a sign
demonstrating the Shake and Fold significantly increased the amount of people using only a
single sheet of paper towel, so we hypothesized that our study would have a significant decrease
in overall paper towel consumption. However, our findings were not consistent with the
previous research: We found that the demonstration of the Shake and Fold did not produce any
significant changes in our campaign.
The slogan we used on our signs was another avenue for us to influence behavioural
change. We aimed to target social influence by presenting social norms because from our
review of other literature, we believed this approach would be the most effective in influencing

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN,

our target behaviour. In a study which also examined the influence of targeting social norms, it
was found that people are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours when they
believe others who are similar to them also engage in that particular behaviour (Goldstein et al.,
as cited in McKenzie-Mohr, 2011). Although our results were not consistent with those findings
and our implementation of this concept did not produce any significant change, it is difficult
for us to assume that targeting social norms was incorrect. The lack of significant results could
be due to the developments of new barriers by our signs. In addition, our methods for obtaining
data were not consistent with what had been conducted in other studies. Previous research
obtained data on a per-participant basis as opposed to our method of measuring the volume of
paper towels used in specific time frames and the limited time frame. If we had been able to run
a longer campaign, we may have seen a difference.
We did not find any significant results from this study which could be used to implement
any changes to washrooms at KPU. However, we do have general recommendations which
could help reduce paper towel waste outside of what we found through our results. We found
during our study that when replacing paper towel rolls, used paper towel rolls which had a lot
of material remaining were being left on washroom counters for people to use. In the KPU
restrooms we studied, paper towel dispensers had delays after dispensing each individual paper
towel intended to reduce the level of convenience for consumers. By leaving leftover rolls on
counters, it could lead people to use more than necessary. Perhaps this could be improved on
by adjusting washroom cleaning schedules.
Limitations
Using the information from the surveys conducted, we projected people at KPU would
be willing to reduce their paper towel consumption. As McKenzie-Mohr (2011) recommends,
focus groups should be used to gather constructive feedback before implementing a strategy to
identify additional barriers that may surface. However, we were unable to use focus groups
before implementing our campaign due to lack of time and resources. McKenzie-Mohr (2011)
also recommends pilot testing strategies to test the effectiveness of the proposed strategy to first
determine how behaviour is impacted on a small scale. We were also unable to conduct a pilot
test of our intervention campaign due to time constraints and limited resources which may have
also influenced the effectiveness of our campaign.

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11

There were various factors that could have emerged while conducting our field
experiment which could have affected our end results. For example, there may have been
reactance to our signs as it contained the question “are you?”, and that could have produced the
opposite of our desired behaviour (McKenzie-Mohr, 2011). The potentially aggressive wording
may have induced a resistant behaviour in some people. Another limiting factor we experienced
occurred when paper towel rolls were replaced during measurement periods. In addition, the
excess paper towel from the previous roll would be left on the counter, so we could not obtain
accurate measurements in paper towel usage. This problem could have been alleviated if we
had direct contact with custodial services at KPU, to help us coordinate around the times when
paper towel rolls were changed. Lastly, systematic and human errors led to inaccuracy and
inconsistency within our measurements and results. We measured paper towel usage over threehour intervals so other factors such as the number of people using the washrooms within each
interval could have had a significant influence on our results. Caitlin and Wang (2013) were
able to get detailed measurements because they placed a counter outside the washrooms to see
how many people used the washrooms versus how much paper towel was used, and this helped
them understand the changes in paper towel usage per person. Also, the times of measurement
were not the same for each washroom throughout our data collection periods. In this study, data
on men’s washrooms were collected on Mondays and Tuesdays, whereas data on women’s
washrooms were collected on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The difference in the days of the week
could have affected our results as well. Human error was most prevalent in the measurements
of data. When measuring the diameters of the paper towel rolls, we had to measure over the
paper towel roll dispensers which resulted in lower precision in our measurements. A small
difference in measured diameter could lead to larger differences in volume depending on the
diameter length so this was a confound which was difficult to control. Finally, future research
could consider using a different design and statistical analysis to test our hypothesis.
Summary
We determined that many people prefer using paper towels to dry their hands due to
their convenience and drying effectiveness. However, we found primarily using paper towels
is highly unsustainable compared to other hand drying options. Our goal in this study was to
reduce paper towel usage in washrooms in the KPU Surrey campus’ Main building. We
conducted literature reviews to understand the most effective ways in promoting a change in

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN,

behaviour (reducing paper towel usage) to help develop strategies for our campaign. The
literature review was effective in narrowing down the most practical strategies to reach the
desired behaviour, with social influence being a significant factor. We then conducted 38 pilot
surveys near the washrooms to obtain a sample from a relevant demographic in the KPU Surrey
campus’ Main building to help us identify benefits and barriers. The results of the surveys
indicated that people were willing to reduce their paper towel usage but identified that it would
be difficult as one paper towel was insufficient at drying their hands. Acknowledging this
barrier, the signs for our campaign presented an effective way to dry one’s hands by using one
paper towel: the Shake and Fold technique. The sign stated “KPU students in this washroom
are willing to reduce their paper towel consumption... are you? Try the Shake & Fold!”,
followed by an image demonstrating the Shake and Fold technique.
Over the course of three weeks, we measured four different washrooms in the KPU
Surrey Main building. Out of the four washrooms, two were randomly selected to have our
signs posted so we could measure treatment effects. The baseline was measured in the first
week and treatment effects were measured in the following two weeks. Paper towel rolls were
measured in three-hour periods to observe changes. We found that our signs did not have a
significant effect on overall paper towel usage within the washrooms we studied. This was
found between both the baseline and treatment periods as well as between the control and
experimental washrooms. However, in our pilot surveys, individuals recognized the value of
reducing their paper towel consumption, therefore future studies should continue to explore
effective ways to reduce consumption.

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13
Figures and Tables

Figure 1. The Signs Posted on Paper Towel Dispensers in Experimental Washrooms During
Treatment Weeks

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN,

Figure 2. Average volume of paper towels used (cm3) during baseline and treatment weeks

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15

Table 1
Means, Standard Deviations, and 95% Confidence Intervals for Overall Paper Towel Use (cm )
3

in Three-Hour Intervals within Experimental Washrooms During Baseline and Treatment
Periods.
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
Measurement Period

Mean

Std. Deviation

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

Baseline (1 week)

328.36

186.37

156.00

500.73

Treatment (2 weeks) 271.13

167.00

142.77

399.50

Table 2
Means, Standard Deviations, and 95% Confidence Intervals for Overall Paper Towel Use (cm3)
in Three-Hour Intervals Between Control and Experimental Washrooms During the Two
Treatment Weeks.
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
Sign Condition

Mean

Std. Deviation

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

Control

304.48

135.94

213.16

395.81

Experimental

271.13

167.00

142.77

399.50

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References
Catlin, J. R., & Wang, Y. (2013). Recycling gone bad: When the option to recycle increases
resource consumption. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(1), 122–127.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2012.04.001
Fox, A. E., Buchanan, I., Roussard, Q., Hurley, K., Thalheim, I., & Joyce, J. M. (2019). Using
delays to decrease paper consumption in food service and laboratory settings. The
Psychological Record, 69(2), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-019-00335-8
Haines, E., Winckler, J., Yang, J., & Zhou, C. (2011). How informational nudges can reduce
the overall consumption of paper towels in a collegiate environment. European Tissue
Symposium. Retrieved from https://uploadsssl.webflow.com/5c198f0cf264d6cfbc4a7c03/5c64757bb6bcbcb94d2c6efb_181203%
20Paper%20Towels%20Paper.pdf
McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2011). Fostering sustainable behavior: An introduction to communitybased social marketing (3rd ed.). New Society Publishers.
New Cintas survey shows consumers vastly prefer paper towels in hand drying debate. (2017,
July 11). Business Wire. Retrieved October 1, 2019, from
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005083/en/New-Cintas-SurveyShows-Consumers-Vastly-Prefer

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Appendix A

Paper Towel Use Survey
1. What makes it difficult or challenging to use only one sheet of paper towel when drying
your hands?

2. What do you see as beneficial or rewarding about using only one sheet of paper towel to
dry your hands?

3. Using paper towels is my preferred method of hand drying.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

4. I currently use one sheet of paper towel to dry my hands.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

5. I'm conscious of the amount of paper towels I use to dry my hands.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

6. If I tried, I could use only one sheet of paper towel to dry my hands.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

7. I think that reducing my paper towel use to only one sheet will have a positive impact on
the environment.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

8. I would be willing to reduce the amount of paper towel I use to dry my hands.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

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LEE, K., ABBOTT, A., WARAICH, L., POULIN,

9. I think others believe it’s important to use only one sheet of paper towel to dry their
hands.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

10. If I knew someone was watching I would use less paper towel.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

5

6
7
Strongly Disagree

11. It's important to reduce the amount of waste I produce.
1
2
Strongly Agree

3

4