Less than half report regularly using face masks in outdoor areas: poll

Although nearly 9 in 10 Americans in a new poll said they “always” or “usually” wear a mask or face covering in indoor settings, just 47 percent said they do the same in outdoor settings where they are unable to social distance.

The poll, released Friday by Gallup, found that 70 percent of survey respondents said they “always” wear a face mask and 16 percent said they “usually” wear a face mask in indoor settings.

The results break down along party lines.

Among Democratic survey respondents, 97 percent said they always or usually wear a mask or face covering in an indoor setting, compared to 64 percent who said they do the same outside when practicing social distancing is not possible.

Eighty-five percent of independents said they always or usually wear a face covering indoors, compared to 43 percent who said the same about being outdoors.

While 70 percent of Republican survey respondents said they always or usually wear a mask or face covering indoors, 23 percent said they do the same outside when they cannot socially distance.

In a separate question, 91 percent of survey respondents said they have used a face mask within the last seven days. Among Democrats, 99 percent said they have worn a mask in the last week, with 91 percent of independents and 80 percent of GOP survey respondents saying the same.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called on people to wear masks in public, especially when social distancing is difficult or not possible.

The poll was conducted July 20-Aug. 2 with a random sample of 7,634 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.