The importance of attitudes on mask wearing behavior: The moderating role of trust in science

Understanding the variables and processes that predict mask wearing has implications for reducing the likelihood of viral spread during pandemics. Research has shown that trust in science and mask-wearing attitudes predict mask-wearing behavior; however, no research has investigated the interaction between these two variables across different time points of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current project presents programmatic research to address these gaps in the literature. The aim of Study 1 (N = 229; average age is 38.30 years) was to create and examine the psychometric properties of a new multi-dimensional measure of mask attitudes in a sample of US adults, and results showed that three independent factors (positive attitudes, negative attitudes, and negative comfort-related attitudes) were observed. Using this measure, the aim of Study 2 (N = 869; average age is 37.81 years) was to test the interaction between trust in science and mask attitudes across four cohorts of US adults sampled six months apart during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results showed drastic shifts in the strength of the interaction between trust in science and positive mask attitudes at predicting mask wearing between the cohorts. Implications are discussed.