Bad behavior vector

Yelling at a barista. Threatening a fellow airplane passenger. Damaging property. Inflicting physical harm. It’s not your imagination. According to a recent GP PRO survey of 1,025 U.S. adults, nearly half believe that Americans are behaving worse in public now than they did in the two to three years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly 60 percent have witnessed such behavior in the last three months.

Of the 27 percent of survey respondents who specifically witnessed damage to property, nearly 70 percent saw it take place in a public restroom, far more than in a bar (41 percent), on a public street (39 percent), or at an event venue (36 percent). GP PRO’s own customer service data confirms this troubling and growing trend. From January through October of 2023, 

GP PRO saw a 40 percent increase in “dispenser abuse” reports over all of 2022. 

“We’re discovering that public restrooms are especially susceptible to abuse and damage to property due to privacy requirements that make them virtually impossible to thoroughly surveil,” says Ronnie Phillips, Ph.D., senior director of Washroom Innovation with GP PRO. “While we can’t change how people behave in public, GP PRO continues to design dispensers that are tough inside and out to help withstand abuse, minimize damage, and deliver a positive user experience.”

Check out the entire survey here.