If I was talking to a reporter and the real number was .01% I would still say "less than 1%" to make sure I was properly understood. The whole reason we use percentages and say "one percent" instead of "point zero one" is that some people tend to get confused with decimals but not with integers.
EDIT: And part of this is just how we say things. "Twenty" is just easier to parse in a conversation than "Two Oh" even though the later is perfectly comprehensible when written out.