Public Responses to Policy Reversals: The Case of Mask Usage in Canada during COVID-19

Abstract

La maladie du coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) a poussé les organismes de santé publique et autres respon sables gouvernementaux à apporter des changements rapides, importants et parfois contradictoires aux politiques, en réaction à la nouvelle information. Les auteurs étudient les répercussions de ces change ments sur l'adhésion du public à ces décisions en se penchant sur le cas de l'évolution des directives quant à l'usage du masque par les personnes asymptomatiques. Les recommandations officielles relatives à l'usage de masques au Canada étant passées de la dissuasion à la contrainte, les auteurs étudient les constats tirés d'un sondage d'opinion publique en cours visant à analyser les fluctuations actuelles des taux d'adoption du port du masque et des niveaux de confiance du public dans les institutions gouvernementales. Les au teurs constatent que les Canadiens affichent des niveaux élevés d'adhésion aux politiques changeantes sur l'usage du masque et que la confiance dans les autorités de la santé publique demeure constante, malgré ces changements. Mots clés : changement de politiques, confiance dans les institutions, COVID-19, masques, opinion pub lique Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in rapid, substantial, and at times contradictory policy changes as public health agencies and government officials react to new information. We examine the implications of such changes for public compliance by drawing on the case of revised guidance on mask usage by asymptomatic individuals. As official recommendations on the use of masks in Canada shift from discouraged to mandatory, we draw on findings from an ongoing public opinion study to explore contem poraneous changes in rates of mask adoption and levels of public trust in government institutions. We find that Canadians exhibit high levels of compliance with changing policies on mask usage and that trust in public health officials remains consistent despite policy change.

COVID-19 Health Precautions: Examining Demographic and Socioeconomic Disparities

“…Wearing face masks has the lowest rate of adherence as only approximately 67% of the adult population report wearing a mask. The proportion is similar to a recent Canadian study that found 63% of respondents reported wearing masks during in late May 2020 (Mohammed, Johnston, and van der Linden 2020), but well below the proportions in Singapore or the Philippines, where over 90% of adults wear a mask (CFR 2020). The low use of face masks is especially problematic given how critical it is for reducing transmission of the virus (Brankston et al 2020) and for lowering mortality rates (WHO 2020).…”

“…However, maskwearing in countries around the world ranges from 1% in Denmark and Finland to over 90% in Singapore and the Philippines, as adherence is greatly influenced by government regulations (CFR 2020). Canadian mask usage has gradually increased from 10% at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to approximately 63% in late May (Mohammed, Johnston, and van der Linden 2020). The gradual change reflects shifts in the importance attributed to mask usage by public health officials.…”

Face Masks, Public Policies and Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Canada

“…[4][5][6]10], argue that face masks can reduce the spread of . Our paper also complements recent work on non-pharmaceutical interventions in various countries [ [14][15][16][17] and in Canada [18][19][20][21].…”

COVID-19 Policy Response and the Rise of the Sub-National Governments

“…Canadians viewed measures like mask-wearing as a means to protect others, not just themselves (van der Linden and Savoie 2020). Canadians also appeared to have formed these policy preferences based on the perceived seriousness of the pandemic and trust in the ability of government to lead appropriately (Sevi et al 2020;Mohammed, Johnston, and van der Linden, 2020). As a result, policymaking has been more cooperative in the Canadian experience.…”