The Impact of Demographics on Mask Wearing

Why Minorities Mask at a Higher Rate

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a national conversation on mask wearing and social responsibility. Despite the rising death and infection rates many citizens in the U.S remained unwilling to follow CDC guidelines by masking and social distancing. By 2022 many schools had begun to go mask optional including mine. Over the course of the last two months of the school year I surveyed over sixty students and interviewed eleven. The research question I was looking to answer was, which demographics masked more and why. I found that minorities or disadvantaged groups in terms of race, class and gender wore masks at a higher rate. The interviews I had conducted  also showed that those who wore masks expressed concern for others at a higher rate, leading me to confirm my hypothesis that minorities mask at a higher rate because they are more empathetic. My operational definition for minority was non-white persons, women and non-binary people, as well as those in the middle or working class whereas my operational definition for empathy was concern and consideration for others, especially those unrelated to them. My hypothesis is also supported by previous studies showing ethnic and gender minorities mask at a higher rate, lower class people are more empathetic and that empathy increases masking and social distancing.