#Unsettling number of people are still refusing to wear a mask at bars, restaurants

“#Unsettling number of people are still refusing to wear a mask at bars, restaurants”

July 28, 2020 | 12:58pm

More than half of American citizens would refuse to wear a face mask in a bar or restaurant – regardless of government advice.

And four in 10 wouldn’t consider donning a face covering when shopping, despite being surrounded by other people.

A study of 2,000 adults found one-third feel self-conscious at the thought of wearing a mask when leaving the house.

And while 56 percent are prepared to don a face covering when going on public transport, 69 percent have no intention of wearing one when walking, while six in 10 won’t consider it for meeting family or friends.

One in 10 Americans would go so far as to say they will refuse to wear a face mask anywhere in public – even if it became a law introduced in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four in 10 believe wearing a mask to protect from COVID-19 is both unnecessary and over the top, while 12 percent consider them “pointless.”

“Face masks will become the norm and users will need to find ways to make them comfortable and effective,” said Ashley Mealor, Chief Marketing Officer for Vision Direct, which carried out the research.

“They will take a bit of getting used to, as they can be uncomfortable, particularly if you are a glasses wearer, have a skin condition or are particularly sensitive.

“Some people may just not like the feeling of being claustrophobic – there are lots of reasons why it may be difficult to get the whole of the general public to embrace mask-wearing, but as other countries have demonstrated, this may become necessary to fight the pandemic once and for all.”

It emerged one in 10 American adults haven’t yet tried using a mask at all.

And researchers found 71 percent would refuse to wear a mask when exercising, while 66 percent would ditch it for a date.

Some 42 percent of adults won’t even consider donning a face covering when visiting the doctor or hospital – despite the increased chances of infection.

Just over half of adults won’t have a mask in a taxi, 60 percent would go without at a friend’s house and a further 62 percent won’t even wear one when visiting with family.

Americans are resistant to mask-wearing because they say it will be hard to eat and drink (28 percent), too hot (28 percent) and may make them feel anxious (17 percent).

Communication is also a very big issue for some, with Americans worried about others understanding them if their mouth is covered and claiming it would be too hard for people to read their facial expressions (18 percent, respectively)

More than half of those polled via OnePoll don’t like the idea of others not seeing their smile and 47 percent don’t think they’ll be able to talk to others properly.

Even things like flirting or looking attractive to others are a concern for more than one-quarter of adults.

Other mask-wearing grumbles include the fact they can look silly (12 percent), they’re hard to breathe in (38 percent) and they feel uncomfortable (27 percent)

And three in 10 glasses wearers said one of the key reasons they may avoid a face covering is because they’re worried their specs will fog up.

In conjunction with the findings, Vision Direct has launched a quiz to illustrate just how tricky it can be to view everyday things with fogged up glasses – to participate, visit this link.

“There are many reasons why people may be reluctant to give masks a go, whether that’s having glasses steam up, or not liking the feeling that it is difficult to communicate,” added Ashley Mealor.

“The reality is that wearing a mask will limit the facial expressions other people will see – couple that with wearing glasses too and those people may really struggle to connect with others effectively.

“You learn so much from a person from seeing their mouth, nose and eyes – if all of these are covered, it could affect how you respond to them. So it is understandable why glasses wearers, in particular, could be averse to taking these steps to protect themselves and others.”

Percentage of adults who won’t wear a face mask in the following destinations: