Opinion Study: Majority of Americans Want Travelers to Wear Masks

Opinion Study: Majority of Americans Want Travelers to Wear Masks

A majority of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new study finds. However, a ruling by a federal judge has stopped the government's transportation mask requirement for now.

The study by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that despite strong feelings against that requirement 56 percent of Americans favor requiring masks for people on planes, trains and public transportation.

There have been arguments and physical violence against flight attendants who asked airline travelers to wear masks. Those against the requirement made up 24 percent of the people studied.

Researchers talked with people around the country from Thursday through Monday. Then, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the national mask requirement on airplanes and mass transit¹ was "unlawful." Airlines and airports immediately ended their requirements that passengers wear face coverings.

The Transportation Security Administration stopped enforcing the mask requirement. The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it will not appeal the ruling unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is still necessary.

The study shows a wide divide by political parties on the issue. Among Democrats², 80 percent favor and just 5 percent oppose the requirement. Among Republicans, 45 percent are opposed compared with 33 percent in favor, with 22 percent saying they had no feelings either way.

Vicki Pettus recently moved from Frankfort, Kentucky, to Clearwater, Florida, to be near her grandchildren. She said she enjoys the beauty of the area, but does not like the "very lackadaisical³ attitude" by Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, about masking. She said she will continue to wear her mask to protect against the coronavirus, including around her community and on the plane when she travels.

But Kriste Lee, who works in sales in South Florida, wants to fly mask-free when she travels next month. Lee said nobody is stopping anyone from wearing masks if they want to. She is not vaccinated⁴.

The continued support among Americans overall for mandating⁵ masks on transportation comes even as worries about COVID-19 are at their lowest points of the past two years. Just 20 percent now say they are "very or extremely worried" they or a family member could be infected. That has gone down sharply since December. Another 33 percent now say they are "somewhat worried," while 48 percent say they are not worried at all.

Betty Harp⁶ is an 84-year old in Leitchfield, Kentucky. She is "very worried" after losing a lot of friends and family to the virus.

COVID is still here

"I know COVID is still here. It's still around," said Harp. She says she is a Republican-leaning independent. "I think we should all be wearing masks for a little while longer."

The study also shows about half of Americans favor requiring masks for workers who face the public. Support is similar for requiring people at crowded public events such as sporting events and movies to wear masks.

On these questions there are similar political party differences. Seventy-two percent of Democrats favor requiring people attending crowded public events to wear masks. Twenty-five percent of Republicans are in favor and 49 percent are opposed to requiring public-facing employees to wear face coverings.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,085 adults took place from April 14-18 using a group of people designed to be representative of the United States population.

Words in This Story

mask - n. a face covering

despite - prep. without being prevented by (something) — used to say that something happens or is true even though there is something that might prevent it from happening or being true

favor - v. approval, support, or popularity

lackadaisical – adj. easy-going

mandate⁷ - v. an official order to do something

lean – v. to tend toward something

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 lackadaisical   

adj.无精打采的，无兴趣的；adv.无精打采地，不决断地

参考例句：

• His will was sapped and his whole attitude was lackadaisical.心里松懈，身态与神气便吊儿啷当。
• Lao Wang is very serious with work,so do not be lackadaisical.老王干活可较真儿啦，你可别马马虎虎的。

4 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

5 mandating   

托管（mandate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Current requirements mandating that committees keep minutes are too general. 目前对委员会要保持详细记录的指令性要求，还是太过一般化了。
• Mandating that workers who quit without permission forfeit a month's wages. 规定工人私自离岗将受到罚没一个月工资的处罚。

6 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。