Poll: Large Majorities Now Say They Wear Masks Regularly and Can Continue Social Distancing for At Least Six Months if Needed, though Republicans Remain Less Likely to Take Such Precautions

As winter sets in and COVID-19 cases and deaths hit records in most of the country, more Americans say they wear masks every time they leave home (73%) than in May (52%), a new KFF Health Tracking survey results.

A small minority (11%) say they only wear masks sometimes or never. This group is more likely to be made up of whites (70%), men (65%) and Republicans (54%).

Additionally, 7 in 10 Americans (70%) say they can continue to follow social distancing guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 for at least an additional six months if necessary. Only small stocks say they could follow such guidelines for less than another month (4%) or not at all (9%).

There are big party differences, with an overwhelming majority of Democrats (87%) and only half of Republicans (50%) saying they can follow these guidelines for at least six months or until a vaccine is widely available. One in five Republicans (20%) says they cannot follow the guidelines at all.

Willingness to wear masks and obey social distancing comes from two-thirds (68%) of the public fearing that they or someone in their family will contract coronavirus. This is the highest level of concern since KFF started asking the question in February. As in the past, Democrats are more concerned about this risk than Republicans.

In addition, half (51%) of adults say that worry or stress related to the pandemic had a negative impact on their mental health, similar to July (53%). That includes a quarter (25%) who say it had a big impact. Women and young adults are more likely than men and older adults to report negative effects on mental health.

Just before the Food and Drug Administration approved COVID-19 vaccines, the survey said half (51%) of the public say the pandemic is "the worst still to come," after a low of 38% in September. Democrats are more than twice as likely to feel as Republicans (72% versus 32%), while Independents are in the middle (50%).

"The Republican denialism that reflects President Trump has become a real public health challenge for the future administration, even in the face of a growing epidemic in red states," said Drew Altman, President and CEO of KFF.

The survey also measures public views on several proposals to negotiate drug prices and expand access to affordable health insurance that President-elect Biden promoted during the 2020 campaign.

When it comes to drug prices, nearly 9 in 10 (89%) are in favor of the federal government negotiating with drug manufacturers to get a lower price on Medicare and private insurance. This includes large proportions of Republicans (84%) and Independents (87%) as well as almost all Democrats (97%).

In expanding coverage, large majorities support providing health coverage to low-income individuals in states that have not expanded their Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (76%). Provide all Americans (71%) with a government-administered health plan with a "public option"; Increase in government financial aid to those buying their own insurance in the ACA market (66%); and lowering the age of people eligible for Medicare from 65 to 60 (65%).

There is a wider party-political divide in coverage proposals, with Democrats in general most supportive and Republicans least supportive – although about half of Republicans prefer to move people on low incomes in states where Medicaid has not been expanded (54%) to guarantee coverage and lower the age of Medicare eligibility (51%).

A large majority (80%) – including inter-party majorities – are also in favor of protecting patients from unexpected medical bills from providers outside the network who are working on bipartisan legislation in Congress.

As part of his campaign, President-elect Biden focused on protecting and building on the Affordable Care Act to expand access to affordable health insurance. Most citizens want the new administration and Congress to either build on the ACA (48%) or leave it unchanged (14%). Less would like to reduce it (9%) or cancel it entirely (20%).

As with the ACA as a whole, there are large partisan divisions, with most Democrats and Independents wanting to build on what the law does or leave it as it is, while most Republicans want to reduce it or remove it altogether.

The poll was designed and analyzed by the pollster from the KFF and carried out from November 30th to December 30th. 8 among a nationally representative sample of 1,676 adults with free choice, including over-sampling of adults who are black (390) or Spanish (298). The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (391) and mobile phone (1,285). The margin of error in the sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the entire sample. Results that are based on subgroups may have a higher sampling error rate