Most Americans still want to wear face masks while traveling even though a recent court ruling blocked a federal mask requirement this week, according to an AP-NORC poll released Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Florida – who former President Donald Trump appointed – blocked the transportation mask mandate Monday, on the heels of a 19% increase in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
According to the recent poll, 56% of Americans support mask requirements on airplanes, trains, and other types of public transportation. Only 24% said they opposed the requirement and 20% said they had no opinion. Older Americans are more likely to support mask requirements.
Online and telephone interviews were conducted between April 14 and 18 with 1,085 participants throughout the country for the poll.
Most Americans also supported wearing face masks when attending crowded public events and when interacting with workers who interact with the public.
AP-NORC found that views on mask requirements are highly partisan, with Democrats more likely to favor them than Republicans or independents. Employed Democrats were twice as likely to support mask mandates than employed Republicans.
Only 20% of people say they are extremely or very worried they or a family member will be infected with COVID-19.
In addition to most Americans, medical experts support continued masking on transportation for the time being. The U.S. Justice Department appealed the decision to block the federal mandate Wednesday, which was previously set to expire May 3.
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