2

(iii) The Articles which were dry cleaned

Those who had had clothes cleaned were asked what the clothes were:-

As in many cases, housewives had had more than one sort of garment cleaned, the percentages given above add up to more than 100.

The number of garments of any particular sort that had been cleaned during the last six months was not asked, but in most cases this was stated.

The table given below shows the number of housewives sending different numbers of garments of the same sort to the cleaners.

From these figures a minimum average of the number of garments of different sorts cleaned can be worked out; if where the number is unspecified this is counted as one, and if where the number is three or more, this is counted as three.

Results for the first four items are as follows:-

The average number of items of any sort sent to be cleaned by housewives who had used cleaning services at all during the last 6 months is 2.16.

It should be borne in mind that these are minimum figures, and that the true average would be rather higher.

3

(iv) Changes in the use of Dry Cleaning since the War

Informants were asked: “Do you have things dry-cleaned more or less often now than you did before the war?”

It will be seen that a rather higher proportion were making more use of cleaning services than were making less use of them.

If the proportion never using cleaning services and the proportion using cleaning services less than before the war are added together, the result is 43.7% which may be compared with the 49.1% who had not used cleaning services during the last six months.

Breakdown by region of the figures showing “more”, “less” and “same” shows no statistically significant differences.

However, London differs from other regions in that a rather lower proportion say they never use dry cleaners, 17.6 ± 5.4 as against 29.3 for the whole sample.

There are marked differences between different income groups.

It will be seen that the proportion never using dry cleaners is very much higher in class D than in other groups.

If percentages for those answering “More”, “Same” and “Less”, are based on the number using dry cleaners, no statistically significant differences are shown between the different income groups.

Breakdown by age groups gives the following result:-

The oldest group shows a relatively high proportion never using dry cleaners.

Results are expressed as percentages of those ever using dry cleaners below.

In the oldest group the proportions using dry cleaners more and less than before the war are the same. The two younger groups show higher proportions using cleaners more and lower proportions using them less.

Those who used cleaners either more or less than before the war were asked the reason for this.

4 5

(v) The use of Mending Services

Question: “Have you had any clothes or household linen mended (outside your home) in the last six months?”

Breakdowns by region and by urban and rural districts show no statistically significant differences.

There are definite differences between different income groups:-

In the higher income groups a higher proportion had used mending services than in the lower.

A slightly lower proportion has used mending services in the over 50 age group than in the younger groups:-

Those who had had clothes mended were asked what the clothes were: Numbers are not sufficient to give percentages, and actual numbers are given below.

They were also asked what sort of a mending service was used:-

Informants were asked whether they used mending services more or less often than before the war.

The proportions using mending services are not large enough for differences in “more”, “less” and “the same” to be compared in different groups. However, it may be noted that 96% of class D never use mending services, as against 88% of the whole sample.

26 of the 42 housewives who used mending services more than before the war said that this was in order to make things last longer, and 8 said “to save coupons”.

Others gave miscellaneous reasons, as did the small number who used mending services less than before the war.

(vi) SAMPLE

Total: 1124 housewives

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(vii) The Questionnaire

WARTIME SOCIAL SURV EY

New Series Regional S.3.

Interviewer:

Date

Town:

Urban 1

Rural 2

Regional 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1. Have you had any clothes or household linen dry-cleaned during the last 6 months?

YES 1

No 2

2. If YES, what was it?

3. Do you have things dry-cleaned more or less often now than you did before the war?

More 1

Less 2

Same 3

Never use dry-cleaners’ 4

4. If MORE or LESS, why?

5. Have you had any clothes or household linen mended (outside your home) in the last. 6 months?

YES 1

No 2

6. If YES, what was it?

7. What sort of a service was it?

Attached to a shop 1

Attached to Dyers & Cleaners 2

Dressmaker 3

Tailor 4

Other 5

8. Do you have things mended (outside your home) more or less often now than you did before the war?

More 1

Less 2

Same 3

Never Use 4

9 If MORE or LESS, why?

Class

Age