Are people comfortable ditching masks after new CDC guidance? Here’s what poll found

Vaccinated Americans can now ditch their masks in most situations, including indoor settings, according to updated guidance from the Centers from the Disease Control and Prevention.

But most adults feel more comfortable wearing masks for most activities, despite the new recommendations, a new Morning Consult poll shows.

Respondents were asked about 21 activities. For 16 of them, more people said they were comfortable wearing masks.

For instance, 58% of respondents said they were comfortable going to the grocery store with a mask compared to 32% who said they were comfortable going maskless.

The survey was conducted May 14-17 and included 2,200 adults. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.

People said they were also more comfortable going to a doctor’s appointment, flying domestically or internationally and attending school while wearing face coverings instead of going maskless.

Opinions on masks differed by vaccination status.

Fifty-one percent of unvaccinated adults said they were willing to go back to their normal routines without a mask compared to 34% of vaccinated adults who said the same.

Among respondents with K-12 or college students, 33% said they would be comfortable sending their kids to school without masks. Twenty percent Democrats said so, compared to 49% of Republicans.

Adults are divided on how mask mandates should be handled based on the recent guidance, with 27% saying masks should still be required, 25% saying mandates should be scrapped and 40% saying officials should determine mandates based on the community.

Thirty-one percent of respondents said businesses should keep their mask rules while 22% said customers should be allowed in without masks.

Some businesses, including Target, Walmart, Costco and Trader Joe’s, have lifted mask requirements in their stores for vaccinated customers.

More than 157.8 million people in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of May 17, including at least 123.8 million who are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

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