To Mask or Not to Mask? Public Opinion Factors in Mask-wearing Behavior in a Pandemic A Research Note

Date

2022-03-03

Authors

Rausch, John D., Jr
Rausch, Mary Scanlon

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Abstract

The present research seeks to understand who wears a mask in a pandemic. Two surveys of students at a regional public university in the American Southwest were administered in October 2020 and October 2021. The online survey, distributed to students in both traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms and online classes, asked about mask-wearing habits. Respondents also were asked about their ideology and political party identification as well as traditional demographic questions. Comparing two years of survey responses adds an element of change, especially since COVID regulations in Texas changed during that time. Party identification clearly is the most important factor in mask-wearing behavior in 2020. By 2021, an examination of mask-wearing behavior becomes more complex and nuanced.

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Keywords

2022 Faculty Research Poster Session and Research Fair, West Texas A&M University, Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice, Cornette Library, Poster, Pandemic

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