Studies suggest that one in four unvaccinated people may not comply with the CDC guidelines for wearing masks indoors.

The· Revised guidelines Many Americans were surprised when and when they didn’t wear masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on May 13, 2021 that people who have been fully vaccinated with COVID-19 can safely enter many indoor environments. Grocery stores, restaurants, etc., Without wearing a mask.

According to the CDC’s updated guidelines, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people will continue to wear masks even if they no longer need to wear masks at facilities such as bars and restaurants. I am asking.

There is good reason to suspect that at least some unvaccinated Americans violate the CDC’s recommended “honor system” approach. The number of Americans who have been or will be vaccinated against COVID-19 have increase Many Americans in recent months – 34%, by Recently Survey by Kaiser Family Foundation – Vaccinations are at stake (15%), vaccinated only when needed (6%), or vaccinated altogether (13%).

My colleague and i the study This suggests that many people planning to reject the vaccine hold it. negative View For scientists and medical professionals. Therefore, it seems plausible that unvaccinated people may be reluctant to listen to the advice of CDC public health professionals.

This raises the important question that people want to go out, especially as Memorial Day approaches. Can fully vaccinated Americans trust unvaccinated people to wear masks, even if they don’t need them? In a new demographically representative survey, the answer may be no.

So they say that fully vaccinated people don’t have to worry about wearing a mask, but I have a lot of problems wrapping my brain in this, and I I still want to wear a mask indoors !!!
Does anyone else have similar feelings and have any advice on what they feel / what to do?

-Maria (@mmmkrak) May 19, 2021

The virus can mutate among unvaccinated people

The· The logic behind the decisionAccording to the CDC, the Pfizer, Modana, Johnson & Johnson vaccines are effective enough. Significant reduction Vaccinated people may become infected with COVID-19, develop symptoms, or spread the disease to others. This probably means that potentially infected unvaccinated people pose a minimal threat to the vaccinated people they come in contact with.

I have it now Relatively low level community spread And as of May 24, more than 38% of Americans Completely vaccinated Against COVID-19 by vaccination.As a result, this recent CDC guidance May not interfere The virus infection rate is declining nationwide.

Nevertheless, the decision is Questions raised Whether vaccinated Americans can trust unvaccinated people to follow the CDC’s updated guidelines. As CDC director Rochelle Walensky said, unvaccinated people “Honesty to myself” About the health protection benefits of wearing a mask.

So-called”Honor systemThe approach is that the virus may allow it to circulate among unvaccinated people – the point. Raised by a major nurse union.. If true, the increased circulation allows the virus to: Continue to mutate.. This may lead to the development of mutants that are at least partially resistant to existing COVID-19 vaccines.

Evaluation of intention to wear mask and vaccination status

On May 17, I surveyed 478 adults in the United States in a demographically representative survey of Americans’ intentions to vaccinate and wear masks. Respondents were invited to participate in this survey through Lucid Theorem, an online opt-in survey survey service. Use quota sampling to generate samples that reflect known census demographic benchmarks for age, race, education, household income, partisan identification, and census-designated areas.

We corrected the remaining deviation between the sample and the US adult population by applying survey weights that adjust respondents’ age, race, educational background, and household income.

Initially, respondents were either “fully vaccinated against COVID-19”, “partially vaccinated against COVID-19”, or “not vaccinated against COVID-19”. I asked you to report if. Respondents said they were “fully vaccinated, that is, two doses of Pfizer / Modana or Johnson & Johnson,” or “partially vaccinated, that is, one dose of Pfizer / Moderna.” You can report that you have been inoculated. ” They “have not been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, but will.” Or, “I have not been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine and I have no plans to do so.”

Some respondents may not be aware of the updated CDC guidelines, so the following is a brief summary of the revised CDC recommendations.

Finally, we asked the respondents, “Are you planning to wear a mask in an indoor environment such as a store or restaurant, even if you don’t need it?” Respondents can answer “Yes, I plan to wear a mask” or “No, I do not plan to wear a mask”.

Many unvaccinated people may ignore the CDC guidelines

One in five, or 21%, reports that they have not been or will not be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. More than a quarter (26%) of that 21%, or about 5% of all respondents, said they would not wear masks in indoor spaces such as stores and restaurants.

On the other hand, a smaller percentage of the 48% who reported being fully vaccinated, or 19%, plan not to wear masks indoors. This means that in my sample, the percentage of unvaccinated people who plan not to wear masks indoors is higher than the percentage of vaccinated people who plan to do the same. To do.

Fully vaccinated people may choose to continue wearing masks indoors because they do not trust unvaccinated people to follow the CDC guidelines. The majority (54%) of fully vaccinated respondents report that unvaccinated people do not “little” or “at all” trust to wear masks in an indoor environment. .. Four out of five fully vaccinated people, or 79%, report that they trust the CDC to “do the right thing,” but what do unvaccinated people do? Uncertainty about what to do can exceed these considerations.

Potential mismatch between expectations and reality

The idea that many unvaccinated people may choose not to wear masks in public indoor spaces does not necessarily have a negative impact on public health. The current COVID-19 infection rate, vaccine uptake, and herd immunity to the virus are high enough to stop another wave of infection. As a social scientist, I prefer to leave the question to epidemiologists and public health professionals.

But I think my study documents a significant asymmetry between the revised recommendations of the CDC and what unvaccinated people actually plan to do. Some Americans who do not plan to vaccinate with COVID-19 have reported that they may ignore the CDC guidelines for wearing masks in indoor spaces, so others have said that the “honor system” The approach can create compliance.

Of course, keep in mind that the responses to these surveys are entirely based on self-reported data. People who self-report their plans for vaccination, wearing masks, or both may not actually do so in their daily lives. If true, this may actually strengthen the claim that vaccinated Americans have some skepticism about unvaccinated people.

The “honor system” approach to wearing a mask may ultimately not prolong the pandemic. However, Americans may be right to doubt whether unvaccinated people follow the CDC recommendations.

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