The effect of messaging and gender on intentions to wear a face covering to slow down COVID-19 transmission

Abstract

We report on a pre-registered experiment (N=2,459) testing the effect of messages highlighting that the coronavirus is a threat to “you” vs “your family” vs “your community” vs “your country” on self-reported intentions to wear a face covering. We find that focusing on “your community” promotes intentions to wear a face covering relative to the baseline. We also find that men less than women intend to wear a face covering, but this difference almost disappears in counties where wearing a face covering is mandatory. Finally, we find that men less than women believe they will be seriously affected by the coronavirus, and more than women agree that wearing a face covering is shameful, not cool, a sign of weakness, and a stigma; and these gender differences partly mediate gender differences in intentions to wear a face covering.