The Impact of Social Factors on Adherence to Mask-Wearing during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

This study provides new evidence on the relationship between health insurance status and mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also considers different response to state mask mandating by health insurance status, gender, and race. The Understanding America Study (UAS) panel data is used to set up fixed or random effect models. The existence of health insurance actually increases the probability of mask-wearing by 3.9 to 4.8 percentage points. Individuals who identified as male, white or uninsured were less likely to wear masks before statewide mask mandating. However, the mask-wearing rate of these groups increased more than for females, other racial groups, and insured individuals after statewide mask mandating. Statewide mask mandating is effective for those who have not worn masks before the mandating.