Survey: Mask use far less common at private gatherings than public ones

Fifty-six percent of U.S. adults say they “always” or “usually” wear a mask when indoors with family and friends from outside their household, while 89% say they do so in public settings…

Previous analyses from the Franklin Templeton-Gallup research have established a strong link between Americans’ confidence that they can protect themselves from COVID-19 infection in public and their likelihood to engage in “public consumption” behaviors like dining in restaurants and staying in hotels.

The data further indicate that mask-wearing is a primary source of such confidence. In the most recent survey, those who said they are confident in their ability to protect themselves in public were asked about possible reasons why. By far, the most common response — given by 71% — is that they wear a mask in public. The next most common responses, each given by about half of those who express confidence, is that other people wear masks in public (51%) and other people maintain social distance from each other (49%).