Infographic – Wearing a Mask in Stores Increases

(Pew Research Center)

5 Dec. 2020. Throughout much of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S., people reluctant to wear a face mask often voiced their displeasure, sometimes in very public ways. A new Pew Research Center survey, however, suggests the vast majority of Americans are wearing masks in stores and businesses, no matter if they like it or not.

The Pew Center’s poll shows nearly nine in 10 adults (87%) in the U.S. last month say they wear a mask when shopping in stores. While the percentage has changed little since the 85 percent recorded in September, only about two-thirds of Americans (65%) in June said they wore masks in stores.

Also since the Pew Center’s June survey, the partisan divide between mask wearers and non-wearers in the U.S. has shrunk. In June roughly half (53%) of Republicans said they wore a mask in stores, compared to three-quarters (76%) of Democrats. In November, about eight in 10 Republicans (81%) said they wore masks in stores, as did nine in 10 Democrats (91%). On a separate question, Republicans say they’re getting used to mask-wearing requirements in stores, with 64 percent indicating they’re not bothered by the mandates, but 36 percent are still bothered by these rules.

These data are drawn from a survey of 12,648 participants in Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel, conducted 18 to 29 Nov. The online survey panel is recruited through national random sampling of residential addresses.

More from Science & Enterprise:

• Infographic: U.S. Public Supports Lockdown
• Infographic – U.S. Public Split on Contact Tracing
• Infographic – Willingness to Take Covid-19 Vaccine

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