All eyes are on the possibility of impending recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of our investigation into personal human behaviors that have impacts on others and on society as a whole, we’ve measured self-reported likelihood of masking, reducing movement and social distancing to prevent COVID-19 spread. We have previously reported on masking behaviors by U.S. residents in June 2020, and further delved into perceptions of mask wearing by regions in our article, A Tale of Two Petes…Purdue Pete and Pistol Pete (OSU) Territories: COVID-19 Impacts and Mask Usage Beliefs.
For this new analysis, we collected a nationally representative sample of 927 respondents, all U.S. adults over the age of 18, in January 2021. Given the challenges to achieving the coveted herd immunity and the current lack of an approved vaccine for children, the 24% of adults reporting that they do not intend to get vaccinated is particularly troubling. The COVID-19 vaccination may be the proverbial ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. However, the personal behaviors that can help prevent spread, like social distancing, mask wearing and reducing interactions with others undoubtedly continue to influence the outcomes of the pandemic. The personal behaviors being encouraged (mask wearing, social distancing, compliance with government orders) haven’t changed, nor have the behaviors being discouraged (unnecessary personal contacts/interactions, travel). However, as people grow tired of the isolation from family and friends, the willingness to maintain distance likely decreases.
As first reported in Data suggest COVID herd immunity may be hard to achieve, the behaviors in which respondents indicated they are most likely to participate are, in order from most likely to least likely, wearing a mask or face covering in public, complying with government recommendations regarding social distancing, complying with governmental orders regarding closures or lockdowns, reducing out-of-town travel, and reducing the number of non-essential errands/interactions around town.
The highest mean likelihood for participation in personal behaviors was mask wearing. On the positive side, mask wearing can help reduce viral spread and facilitate a safer return to schools and other public places. On the negative side, mask wearing has been highly politicized and wasn’t adopted quickly or easily by U.S. residents. And recent movements by states to lessen requirements for masks while the federal government seeks to enforce mask wearing in transportation and other public settings potentially seeds further confusion with mixed messaging.
The behavior with the lowest mean likelihood for participation was reduction of non-essential errands/interactions around town. Given the duration for which people have been asked to reduce interactions, it is perhaps not surprising that people are less willing to reduce movements around town than they are to adhere to social distancing or out-of-town travel.
Even as vaccination campaigns gain speed and record numbers of U.S. adults are vaccinated daily, herd immunity remains months away (at best), or improbable (at worst) due to vaccines being declined by adults and/or unavailable for children. Thus, while adults opting for COVID-19 vaccination may be the new headline we’re all watching presently, the personal behaviors we’ve known about for the better part of a year now remain important — even if we’re all tiring of them.
ConsumerCorner.2021.Letter.10
