After conducting a study regarding fecal contamination on hand samples, Dr. Ron Cutler, found that British people are particularly bad at washing their hands.

Dr. Ron Cutler from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, tested several hand samples for traces of fecal contamination.

In another study, when researchers interviewed individuals at a motorway service station, 99 percent of volunteers claimed to have washed their hands. However, electronic recording devices exposed that only 32 percent of men and 64 percent of women actually washed their hands.

So the question is do Americans have cleaner hands than the British?

In 2010, the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute observed hand washing habits of more than 6,000 Americans who used one of five highly used public restrooms nationwide, including New York City's Penn Station and Atlanta's Turner Field baseball stadium.

Researchers found overall 77 percent of men and 93 percent of women washed their hands following using the restroom.

When comparing the baseball stadium, which was the worst location for American men, to British men in the gas station, the hand washing rate was 65 percent. Compared to British men, American men's hand washing rate was twice as high.

However, before Americans can degrade the British, keep in mind the American statistics were not based off any hidden data trackers.

Prior research conducted by Harvard University scientists observed how hygiene behaviors vary from country to country, following the onset of swine flu.

Scientists observed Argentina, Mexico, Japan, America and Britain. Of the five countries, the British were less likely to increase washing their hands or using hand sanitizers. Only 53 percent of the British surveyed said they took extra measures. While 89 percent in Argentina, 86 percent in Mexico, and 72 percent in Japan and the United States all took preventive measures.

RELATED STORIES