White people are least likely to wear a mask when in public, new survey finds

HOUSTON – In comparison to other ethnicities, white people are less likely to wear a mask when in public, according to a new survey.

A survey of more than 6,000 people by the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research found that only 46% of respondents who are white consistently wear a mask while in contact with people outside of their household. According to the survey, white people had the lowest percentage of respondents who mostly or always wear a mask compared to other ethnicities surveyed.

According to USC Dornsife’s survey, 67% of Black people, 63% of Hispanic people and 65% of other ethnicities consistently wear a mask while in close contact with people outside their household.

More than 80% of survey respondents said they viewed wearing a mask as an “effective way to stay safe from the coronavirus.”

Despite understanding the importance of wearing a mask, USC Dornsife reports of the 4 in 10 Americans who visited someone else’s home, only 21% wore a mask most or all of the time they were together.