Is the Messenger the Message? Canadian Political Affiliation and Other Predictors of Mask Wearing Frequency & Attitudes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We used a longitudinal design to examine factors associated with Canadians' (1) early adoption of mask-wearing and (2) attitudes toward mask mandates before mandatory mask mandates were issued. In May 2020, 1,712 Canadians began a 28-day daily diary study tracking their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the associations between people's political affiliation, psychological reactance, pre-existing risk factors, attitudes about the pandemic's severity, attitudes about mask mandates, and public mask-wearing frequency. Growth curve analyses indicated that, over time, Canadians' mask-wearing frequency and attitudes supporting mask mandates both increased. Those who perceived the pandemic as more serious had higher initial levels of both positive attitudes about mask mandates and mask-wearing frequency. Political affiliation was an important predictor of mask mandate attitudes, but only after May 20th, 2020: The first day Prime Minister Trudeau and Teresa Tam publicly stated they would be wearing masks in public. Subsequently, more liberally leaning participants reported more positive attitudes toward mask mandates compared to those with more conservative political views. These findings suggest the importance of cohesive, non-partisan messaging during a public health crisis to avoid political fractures in the uptake of recommended health behaviours. We provide recommendations for public health messengers toward improving voluntary compliance with public health measures, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Nous avons utilisé une conception longitudinale pour examiner les facteurs associés à (1) l'adoption précoce du port de masque par les Canadiens et (2) les attitudes envers les mandats de port de masque avant que les mandats de port de masque obligatoires ne soient lancés. En mai 2020, 1 712 Canadiens ont entrepris une étude de journal quotidien de 28 jours suivant leurs expériences avec la pandémie de COVID-19. Nous avons examiné les associations entre l'affiliation politique des personnes, la réactivité psychologique, les facteurs de risque préexistants, les attitudes sur la gravité de la pandémie, les attitudes sur les mandats de port de masque et la fréquence du port de masque en public. Les analyses des courbes de croissance ont indiqué qu'au fil du temps, la fréquence du port du masque et les attitudes en faveur du port du masque ont augmenté. Ceux qui percevaient la pandémie comme étant plus grave avaient des niveaux initiaux