Voters Want the U.S. to Provide Free N95 Masks
By Lew Blank and David Guirgis
As the omicron variant spreads rapidly across the U.S., health officials are warning that cloth masks are no longer effective at protecting Americans from the coronavirus. Scientists are now urging Americans to instead wear more protective masks — the most effective being N95 masks, and the second most effective being surgical masks.
Although cloth masks are significantly less effective, we find in a new survey of likely voters nationwide that a plurality of voters — 39 percent — are wearing cloth masks as their most common facial covering. This is followed by surgical masks (31 percent), N95 masks (15 percent), and no mask at all (11 percent).
Despite the high level of usage of cloth masks, we find that an overwhelming majority of voters recognize that N95 masks are the most effective facial coverings and cloth masks are the least. In our survey, we asked voters to rank which types of masks provide the most protection, and a majority of voters identified the most protective — 81 percent accurately identified N95 masks as the most effective, 60 percent accurately identified surgical masks as the second most effective, and 61 percent accurately identified cloth masks as the third most effective.
Despite this understanding that N95s are the most effective facial covering, most Americans are not wearing them. While there are a variety of reasons for this, price and availability on retail store shelves are likely factors. N95s are significantly more expensive than cloth or surgical masks. According to USA Today, a 10-pack of N95 masks sold online currently has a price range of about $15 to $20.
This is backed up by our polling, which finds that 15 percent of voters have had “a lot” or “some” difficulty purchasing an N95 mask. A majority — 59 percent — say they have not attempted to purchase one at all.
With the omicron variant setting new coronavirus case records — and with the type of mask worn having a significant impact on the rate of transmission — it’s essential that the Biden administration does everything in its power to help Americans “mask up” in the most protective gear possible. Currently, the administration is weighing whether to offer high-quality masks — N95s and KN95s — to all Americans “for free or very low cost.” Our polling finds that American voters strongly support this proposal. By a +33-point margin, voters want the government to distribute free N95 masks to Americans. This includes 85 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Independents, and more than two in five Republicans.
Overall, our polling shows that Americans understand that N95 and surgical masks are more effective than cloth masks. Nevertheless, nearly two-fifths of voters are wearing cloth masks — putting millions of Americans at increased relative risk of COVID-19. The Biden administration’s response should be clear: To slow the spread of the omicron variant and to deliver on a proposal that voters overwhelmingly support, the administration should provide free N95 masks across the country.
Lew Blank (@LewBlank) is a senior writer at Data for Progress.
David Guirgis is a writing fellow at Data for Progress.