Survey explores preferred upgrades for public restrooms

A survey from Bradley Co. queried a statistically valid sample of 1,032 US adults Jan. 3-14, 2025, about their use of public restrooms.

“We like to look at all aspects of public restroom usage and this year we got back some interesting insights that could lead to changes in the future,” said Jon Dommisse, vice president of business development and strategy for Bradley. 

Monitors to indicate availability

The survey found that 86% of adults think it would be valuable for restrooms in high-traffic locations to have a display showing how many stalls are available. Such systems are already in place in many airport bathrooms to save time.

Speaking of time management, last year a popular tourist site in China, Yungang Grottoes, installed digital timers above toilets in the women’s restroom to indicate how long the stall has been in use. 

When Bradley Co.'s survey asked about implementing restroom timers in the US to keep foot traffic moving, the idea got a thumbs down. No matter how the responses are sliced, most Americans do not like the idea of being timed. The majority (53%) do not think it’s valuable, and 60% of women and 72% of adults aged 55-plus do not see the benefit.

More stall privacy

One restroom change nearly everyone agreed on is the need for more privacy. Seventy-two percent of adults feel public restroom stalls do not provide enough personal space protection. 

Specifically, 53% said they want the gaps around the stall door and where the stalls come together to be eliminated, and 45% said they want doors that extend all the way to the floor. Also, 44% said they want an indicator on the stall door that shows whether it’s occupied or not. Such occupancy indicators would negate the need to bend down and look for a pair of feet to determine if someone is using the stall. 

Finally, 30% said they would appreciate some sort of sound suppression, such as music playing, to help improve privacy in a public restroom. 

Courtesy of Bradley Co.

Top requests

In terms of valuable amenities that Americans would like to see in public restrooms, the top three requests were shelves or hooks to hang personal items, a restroom attendant to keep the space clean and stocked and larger stalls.

The survey delved further into the desire for cleaner and better-stocked restrooms by asking if respondents were willing to pay for that service. 

Less than half (40%) said they would likely pay, while 18% say they definitely would not. Forty-six percent of men versus 33% of women would open their wallet for a clean and well-stocked restroom.

For those willing to pay, one-third feel up to $0.25 is reasonable, while another third is open to doubling that amount. 

Another survey question revealed that nearly 80% of Americans think it is important for public restrooms to have touchless fixtures, and 75% believe touch-free technology improves their overall experience in a restroom. The top three requests for touchless operation are toilet flushers, soap dispensers and faucets. 

The preference for touchless fixtures overlaps into the business sector, since 65% of adults say they’re more likely to return to a store or business that has touchless fixtures. The other insight the survey uncovered is that 84% have a negative impression of a business if it has an unclean or unpleasant restroom.