Blacks and Latinos remain much more cautious in their approach to COVID-19 than white Americans, according to recent polls, reflecting different preferences on how to deal with the pandemic as federal, state and local restrictions are lifted.
Despite the majority of U.S. adults in general advocating measures such as mask mandates, public health experts said divided opinions among racial groups reflected not only the unequal impact of the pandemic on colored people, but also apathy among some white Americans.
Black Americans (63%) and Hispanics (68%) are still more likely than white Americans (45%) to say they are at least somewhat worried about themselves or a family member infected with COVID-19, according to April poll by the Associated Press Center for Public Affairs NORC.
During the pandemic, blacks and Latin American communities had higher rates of illness and death than COVID, said Amelia Burke-Garcia, director of the public health program at NORC. These experiences have led to higher levels of stress, anxiety and awareness of the risks of COVID-19 infection, she said, which means that people of color are more likely to feel that measures such as a mask mandate are needed.
“We have seen these trends continue throughout the pandemic,” Burke-Garcia said. “What we see now that the mitigation measures are being repealed is that there is still great concern among black Americans and Hispanics about the risk of getting sick.
Seventy-one percent of black Americans say they prefer face masks for people traveling by plane, train, and other public transportation. That’s more than 52% of white Americans who support passenger mask mandates; 29% of white Americans are against. Among Hispanics, 59% are in favor and 20% are against. The poll was conducted before a federal judge’s decision to revoke the government’s mandate for passenger masks.
In Indiana, Tuwanna Plant said she saw fewer and fewer people wearing masks in public, although she said she was diligent to always wear them. Plant, who is Black, said he sees people treating the pandemic as if it is over and wants the mask mandate to continue.
Plant, a 46-year-old chef, said she had some concerns about getting the vaccine and had taken all other precautions, such as cleaning and masking, to keep from getting sick, but was recently hospitalized for COVID-19.
The experience frightened her – she has a pre-existing lung disease and knows family members who died of COVID-19. She said she plans to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
“I called my children while I was in the emergency room,” Plant said. “I didn’t know … whether it would get better or worse, I didn’t know. So that was the experience for me as a whole. “
Dr Celine Gunder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist and editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News, said people’s experiences profoundly determine the way they perceive the pandemic. Anecdotes and personal experiences can have a greater impact on behavior than numbers, she said, and people of color are more likely to have had negative health experiences before and during the pandemic.
Although new drugs and vaccines have made it easier to treat COVID-19, Gunder said many people still face systemic barriers to accessing this medical care. Others risk losing their jobs or not being able to take a break if they get sick, she said, or they can’t avoid things like public transport to reduce their exposure.
“When people say they don’t need to disguise themselves on a plane, it means something very different for someone who has access to all these new innovations than for someone who doesn’t have health insurance and struggles to care for the elderly. a parent and their children, who may be a single mother working in a job where there is no paid sick leave or family medical leave, ”Gunder said. “It’s a completely different calculation.”
In January, an AP-NORC poll found that black and Hispanic Americans were more likely than white Americans to feel that certain things were essential to return to life without feeling at risk for infection. For example, 76% of black Americans and 55% of Hispanics said it was essential to return to normal that most people regularly wear face masks in public, compared to 38% of white Americans.
Last month’s AP-NORC poll showed that blacks and Latinos, 69% and 49%, are more likely than white Americans, 35%, to say they always or often wear a face mask around others.
Lower support for mask mandates and other safeguards among white Americans may also reflect less sensitivity to what is happening in black communities. In a 2021 study on wearing masks during the early part of the pandemic, researchers found that wearing masks among white people increased when white people died at a higher rate in the surrounding community. When blacks and Spaniards died, the use of masks was less.
Berkeley Franz, co-author of the article, said that in addition to housing segregation, which separates white people from color communities, past research shows that white people may be ambivalent about policies that they say help people of color.
“Anti-black is really widespread and has huge implications, both in terms of policies that are adopted and in terms of what is not,” Franz said. “White people can still do really racist things without seeing themselves that way and understanding the consequences. It’s largely below the surface and unintentional, but it has huge implications for justice. ”
Color communities also have different perceptions of the pandemic risk than their white counterparts, said Michael Niño, a professor of sociology at the University of Arkansas who co-authored an article on race, gender and disguise in the pandemic.
“Masking is something that is relatively cheap, effective and is something that can be easily done,” he said. “This does not require any response from the government. These broader stories of racism and sexism in the United States certainly shape some of the patterns we see. ”
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The AP-NORC survey of 1,085 adults was conducted April 14-18, using a sample from NORC’s AmeriSpeak probability-based panel, which is designed to be representative of the US population. The permissible sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
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Ma covers education and justice for the AP team for race and ethnicity. Follow her on Twitter: Fingerhut, author of AP polls, is based in Washington.
The Associated Press’s reports on race and ethnicity are supported in part by the scientific education department of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is solely responsible for all content.
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