Among the immediate measures to combat a fourth wave of coronavirus cases, wearing masks should be considered the least controversial. … Yet President Biden’s recent plea for people to wear masks — at least until the ongoing vaccination drive results in herd immunity — is likely to be ignored by many Americans, thanks to the nation’s extreme political polarization.
Our research found that the single most important predictor of local mask use last year in the United States was not covid-19 severity. Nor was it demographic characteristics, religious affiliation or social capital, or even local policies such as mask mandates. No — the strongest and most consistent local factor influencing mask use was what percentage of people in an area voted for Donald Trump in 2016. CONTINUED
Maria Milosh, Marcus Painter, Konstantin Sonin, David Van Dijcke & Austin L. Wright, Washington Post
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