Changes in Self-Reported Mask Use After the Lifting of State-Issued Mask Mandates in 20 US States, February-June 2021

Abstract

Objective: In April 2020, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended community masking to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Since then, a total of 39 US states and DC issued mask mandates. Despite CDC recommendations and supporting evidence that masking reduces COVID-19 community transmission, from January to June 20, 2021 states lifted their mask mandates for all individuals. This study examined the association between lifting state-issued mask mandates and mask-wearing behavior in 2021.

Design: We estimated a difference-in-difference model, comparing changes in the likelihood for individuals to wear a mask in states that lifted their mask mandate relative to states that kept their mandates in place between February and June of 2021.

Setting: Individuals were surveyed from across the United States.

Participants: We used masking behavior data collected by the Porter Novelli View 360 + national surveys (N = 3459), and data from state-issued mask mandates obtained by CDC and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Main outcomes: The outcome variable of interest was self-reported mask use during the 30 days prior to the survey data collection.

Results: In the overall population, lifting mask mandates did not significantly influence mask-wearing behavior. Mask wearing did significantly decrease in response to the lifting of mask mandates among individuals living in rural counties and individuals who had not yet decided whether they would receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusion: Policies around COVID-19 behavioral mitigation, specifically amongst those unsure about vaccination and in rural areas, may help reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, especially in communities with low vaccination rates.

FIGURE 1

Percent of Survey Respondents Reporting They “Often” or “Always” Wore a Mask around People They Did Not Know and the Cumulative Distribution of States that Lifted State-issued Mask Mandates, February–June 2021. Data Source: Porter Novelli Emerging Timely Topics, State-issued Prevention Measures, CDC COVID-19 Tracker.Notes: Sample included 3459 individuals from the 37 states and the District of Columbia that had a mask mandate in place on February 1, 2021. Chi-square test shows statistical association between survey month and whether an individual wears a mask around people they do not know (chi-sq = 56, P < .001).