Nearly 90 percent of Americans say they are wearing masks in public as coronavirus cases spike: poll

Almost 90 percent of Americans say they are wearing face masks in public settings as coronavirus cases surge in some states, according to a new ABC News-Ipsos poll released Thursday.

Eighty-nine percent of Americans said that they used a face mask while going out in public in the last week and 11 percent said they did not. An ABC News- Ipsos from mid-April showed at the time only 69 percent of Americans said they wore masks in public. 

Despite the polling numbers, only 18 states require citizens to wear masks in public, so for most people wearing one is voluntary. It’s not clear from the poll if respondents claimed to wear masks each time they went out or just at one point in the last week. 

Public health officials have urged the public to wear masks when social distancing isn’t possible. This has been emphasized more in recent weeks as more states begin opening and some public events return. 

The poll also found 56 percent of Americans think the economy is reopening too quickly, compared to 15 percent earlier this month. 

The poll also found that more people are hesitant to go to public events or crowded spaces, which public health officials advise against.

Only 21 percent of respondents said they would be willing to attend a large gathering, down from 29 percent in mid-April.

Seventy-six percent of Americans say they are concerned about being infected by the coronavirus, up from 69 percent in early June. 

The poll surveyed 579 general population adults on June 24 and 25 and reported a margin of error of 4.7 percentage points.