It's been over a month since the CDC finally got with the science and updated their guidelines to acknowledge that those who have been fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks indoors. And yet many still remain hesitant to accept that, as shown by polls which Matt and I have highlighted. A new poll from the Monmouth University Polling Institute released on Wednesday reflects such paranoia as well.
The headline chooses to highlight how "Covid Illness Anxiety Plummets Amid Some Unease Over Low Vax Rate." That anxiety, the poll write-up mentions, "stands at its lowest level since the pandemic began," as it should.
The write-up also addresses the frequency of mask-wearing:
Despite the new guidance, nearly 4 in 10 (38%) Americans say they are still wearing a mask about as often as they did before – including 41% of those who have been vaccinated. There are some partisan differences within this group, with vaccinated Democrats (51%) being more likely than vaccinated Republicans (23%) to wear masks with the same frequency. Another 34% of the public are wearing masks less often since the new CDC guidance was issued, while 12% have dropped mask-wearing entirely and 15% say they rarely wore masks to begin with.
That 38 percent of respondents who say they are still wearing masks "about as often" as before is actually a plurality. The 12 percent who say they are now "not at all" wearing a mask are in the smallest category. Further, that 51 percent of Democrats include those who have been vaccinated.
Another takeaway from the poll is that a majority are still "concerned... about another surge happening if not enough people get vaccinated." This includes 26 percent of respondents who are "very concerned" and a plurality, at 31 percent, who are "somewhat concerned." Thirty-nine percent of Democrats are equally "very concerned" and "somewhat concerned."
The poll was conducted over the telephone from June 9 to June 14, with 810 adults and a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points plus or minus. By party breakdown, it was 24 percent Republican, 44 percent Independent, and 32 percent Democrat.
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