Gallup poll: Democrats, women more likely to wear masks

Democrats, women and people with college educations are more likely to wear masks in public to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to a new poll released Monday. 

The Gallup survey found mask-wearing remains a political issue, with 94 percent of Democrats stating that they “always” or “very often” wear masks when outside their homes, compared to 46 percent of Republicans who said the same. 

Meanwhile, 36 percent of Republicans said they “rarely” or “never” wear a mask when going out, a position shared by only 2 percent of Democrats.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of face coverings, especially when in close contact with others, to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Twenty-one states currently require the use of masks in public, while others only recommend it. 

President Trump publicly wore a mask for the first time this weekend when visiting Walter Reed Hospital, about three months after the CDC issued its recommendations. 

Even though Trump is routinely tested for COVID-19, public health experts have urged him to set an example by wearing a mask, believing it would go a long way toward encouraging his supporters to do the same.

The poll also found divisions on mask-wearing between men and women. Eighty-one percent of women surveyed said they wear masks “always” or “very often” outside the home, compared to 63 percent of men and 72 percent of U.S. adults overall. Twenty-four percent of men surveyed said they “rarely” or “never” wear masks outside their homes, compared to 11 percent of women. 

Eighty-five percent of people surveyed who had college educations said they wear masks “always” or “very often,” compared to 65 percent of those without college degrees. 

Respondents between the ages of 35 and 54 were less likely to say they wear masks outside the home “always” or “very often” when compared to those between the ages of 18 and 34 and those aged 55 and older.