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Does Worrying Matter? Priming and Attitudes Toward Mask Wearing in a Midwestern State

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  • Francis L. Huang
  • Wendy Reinke
  • Keith Herman

Abstract

Due to the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the use of protective measures (e.g., mask wearing and social distancing) has become an important public health concern. Despite being an effective and low-cost measure, mask wearing in the U.S. is a contentious issue. We investigated data coming from a natural experiment ( n  = 1,993) collected in a Midwestern state where survey questions about mask wearing and COVID-19 were presented in a random order. Primed respondents ( n  = 1,011), who answered COVID-19 related questions prior to the mask questions, indicated no differences in the efficacy of masks in stopping the spread of the virus compared to nonprimed respondents ( n  = 982). However, primed respondents who were not worried about getting sick were 37% less likely to believe in the efficacy of masks compared the nonprimed, nonworried respondents. Nonworried respondents represent a high-risk group who are likely not to wear a mask. Implications for the messages used in public health campaigns to elicit a change in behaviors are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis L. Huang & Wendy Reinke & Keith Herman, 2021. "Does Worrying Matter? Priming and Attitudes Toward Mask Wearing in a Midwestern State," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:4:p:21582440211058194
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440211058194
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lynne Peeples, 2020. "Face masks: what the data say," Nature, Nature, vol. 586(7828), pages 186-189, October.
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