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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Do Americans have the lowest (self-reported) mask compliance rate of any country?

Friday, July 24, 2020

By Claire Zimmerman

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YouGov, an online research firm, reports that more Americans say they are wearing face coverings when they leave home than was the case earlier in the pandemic. As of July 20, 74% of Americans said they were wearing masks, up from 5% in mid-March. A poll can not verify compliance, but the responses track a steady increase in recommendations and, in more jurisdictions and settings, requirements.

Other recent public opinion polls have reported even higher responses. A late June poll by ABC News reported 89% of Americans said they wore masks.

YouGov asks the same questions across multiple countries over time. The U.S. remains below Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain and Italy, all of which approach 90%. It is well ahead of the U.K. (38% on July 12), Australia (20% on July 3) and Denmark, Sweden and Finland (most recently measured in mid-June, all under 10%).

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

YouGov: Personal measures taken to avoid COVID-19

ABC News: Poll finds 89% of Americans wear face masks

Masks4All: Countries that require masks in public

UCSF: Still confused about masks?

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.