AP-NORC poll: 3 in 4 Americans back requiring wearing masks

Source: AP

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD and EMILY SWANSON

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three out of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans, favor requiring people to wear face coverings while outside their homes, a new poll finds, reflecting fresh alarm over spiking coronavirus cases and a growing embrace of government advice intended to safeguard public health.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that about two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling the outbreak, an unwelcome sign for the White House in an election year shaped by the nation’s battle with the pandemic.

More than four months after government stay-at-home orders first swept across the U.S., the poll spotlights an America increasingly on edge about the virus. The federal government’s response is seen as falling short, and most Americans favor continued restrictions to stop the virus from spreading even if they might hamstring the economy.

Support for requiring masks is overwhelming among Democrats, at 89%, but 58% of Republicans are in favor as well. The poll was conducted before Trump, who for months was dismissive of masks, said this week that it’s patriotic to wear one.



FILE - In this June 9, 2020, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wears a protective mask on his face while speaking to reporters at Miss Ollie's restaurant during the coronavirus outbreak in Oakland, Calif. According to a new poll, Americans overwhelmingly are in favor of requiring people to wear masks around other people outside their homes, reflecting fresh alarm over spiking infection rates. The poll also shows increasing disapproval of the federal government's response to the pandemic. California is among the states seeing the greatest surge in cases now. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, Pool, File)


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