Get Healthy!

  • Steven Reinberg
  • Posted January 22, 2021

Half of Americans Still Not Wearing Masks When Out in Public: Poll

Though masks are effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19, half of Americans don't wear them when mixing with the public.

That's a key takeaway from the ongoing study of more than 6,000 U.S. adults by researchers at the University of Southern California Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research.

Even though 83% of American adults view wearing a mask as an effective way to protect themselves from COVID-19, their behavior is inconsistent, and often high-risk, researchers found.

Two-thirds of respondents said they were in close contact with people outside their household in early December, but only about 51% said they mostly or always wore a mask at those times.

White people were least likely to mask up -- 46% said they always or most always wear a mask when with people from other households. That compared to 67% of Black respondents, 63% of Hispanics and 65% of others, the researchers found.

In rural areas, only 42% of people wore a mask always or most of the time while close to people outside their household, compared with 52% of suburbanites and 57% of people in cities.

Researchers said 21% of people who visited someone else's home wore a mask most or all of the time.

While 14% of Americans gathered in groups of 10 or more, only 46% said they wore a mask most or all of the time during those encounters.

Most Americans did put on a mask for shopping trips. Among the 81% who shopped for groceries in early December, 90% wore a mask.

"These findings indicate a need to redouble efforts to convey consistent messages about the overall importance of wearing masks, but more than that -- where and when to wear them," said Arie Kapteyn, director of the USC Dornsife Center.

"Too many seem to lack a clear understanding of the risks posed by friends and family outside their immediate households," he said in a university news release.

More information

For more on wearing masks, see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, news release, Jan. 21, 2021

Health News is provided as a service to Martin's Pharmacy site users by HealthDay. Martin's Pharmacy nor its employees, agents, or contractors, review, control, or take responsibility for the content of these articles. Please seek medical advice directly from your pharmacist or physician.
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay All Rights Reserved.