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Concerns growing over access to household cleaning supplies: survey

Just more than seven in 10 Americans surveyed in a new poll — 71 percent — said they are concerned about being able to access household cleaning supplies amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

The latest Consumer Brands Association (CBA) survey shows an uptick in those concerns. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said in a poll released on March 25 that they were concerned about access to household cleaning supplies and 54 percent said the same thing two weeks before that.

A majority of respondents in the new poll — 63 percent — said their concerns were driven by the fears that other people are hoarding essentials. 

When asked about specific products, 65 percent of those surveyed said hand sanitizer was the hardest product to find, followed by toilet paper, disinfecting wipes, face masks, and cleaning supplies. 

Concern over access to other types of products, however, has been decreasing. 

Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said they are worried about access to personal care items, which is a decrease from 70 percent from March 18. Seventy-one percent are now concerned about food and beverage product access, a decrease from 77 percent in the earlier poll and 60 percent are worried about access to over-the-counter medicines, a decrease from 64 percent.

Sixty-one percent of people surveyed for the new poll also said they are very concerned about the coronavirus, compared to 54 percent a week ago.

CBA surveyed 1,400 adults on April 1. Its results have a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.

In another poll released on Monday, 94 percent of Americans surveyed said they are taking precautions against the coronavirus, an increase of almost 30 percentage points from mid-March.