Understanding the "Sometimes Masker": Political Orientation and Trust in the Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has brought to light the problematic way partisan politics interferes with public health prevention and control measures. This study aims to investigate how Americans responded to the novel coronavirus with respect to their sociopolitical identity and masking habits.

This mixed-methods study incorporated three ethnographic projects and surveys together, from two rural areas (in Iowa and California) and one suburban community in California.

We interviewed 156 Americans about how masking habits related to six themes: participants' perceived risk level, concern for themselves and others, support for President Trump, trust in scientific organizations, and confidence in major news outlets. We conducted content analysis of qualitative interviews and evaluated survey questions to understand how and why people masked or engaged in public health prevention practices.

Greater perceived risk, concern for others, and trust in health and media institutions was correlated with increased masking, while support for Trump was predictive of anti-masking sentiments. Participants who diverged from these trends, specifically those who sometimes wore masks, but not always were called "sometimes maskers". These sometimes maskers often identified as politically moderate and were more likely to mask due to concern for a vulnerable person or group in their lives.

Since one in three Americans are political moderates, understanding what promotes their adherence to public health guidelines is essential for policy makers interested in pandemic containment. Relatedly, the conservative tendency to distrust mainstream media is what separated those who reported sometimes masking from those who reported always masking.