Association Between Actual and Perceived U.S. COVID-19 Policies and Preventive Behavior.

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 related policies in the USA can be confusing: some states, but not others, implemented mask mandates mid-pandemic, and states reopened their economies to different levels with different timelines after initial shutdowns. The current research asks: How well does the public's perception of such policies align with actual policies, and how well do actual versus perceived policies predict the public's mask-wearing and social distancing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic? We conducted a preregistered cross-sectional study among 1,073 online participants who were representative of the U.S. population on age, gender, and education on Monday-Tuesday, July 20-21, 2020. We asked participants which locations they visited in the past weekend, and their mask-wearing and social distancing b

SUBMITTER: Li M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8083669 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature