Face Masks Increase Compliance with Physical Distancing Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author : Gyula Seres
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (119 download)
Book Synopsis Face Masks Increase Compliance with Physical Distancing Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic by : Gyula Seres
Download or read book Face Masks Increase Compliance with Physical Distancing Recommendations During the COVID-19 Pandemic written by Gyula Seres and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governments across the world have implemented restrictive policies to slow the spread of COVID-19. Recommended face mask use has been a controversially discussed policy, among others, due to potential adverse effects on physical distancing. Using a randomized field experiment (N=300), we show that individuals keep a significantly larger distance from someone wearing a face mask than from an unmasked person. According to an additional survey experiment (N=456), masked individuals are not perceived as being more infectious than unmasked ones, but they are believed to prefer more distancing. This result suggests that, in times where mask use is voluntary, wearing a mask serves as a social signal for a preferred greater distance that is respected by others. Our findings provide strong evidence against the claim that mask use creates a false sense of security that would negatively affect physical distancing.