Safety culture: 64% of Americans say face masks to be ‘regular part of life’ for next year

Face masks now come in many varieties, from disposable light blue wraps to hand-sewn masterpieces and custom-fitted industrial versions with fancy filters.

Get used to it.

“Just a few months ago, it would have been unusual to see Americans donning face masks as they go about their days. Life is changing rapidly amidst the coronavirus crisis and America’s culture is adapting along with it to ensure its health and safety,” reports a sizable YouGov poll of 8,000 Americans released Thursday.

“Nearly two in three people — 64% — say they expect face masks to be a regular part of life for the next 12 months. This figure is highest among two groups—Democrats (76%) and people who reside in the Northeast (71%),” the poll analysis said.

One demographic is not so convinced that daily life will be so germ-centric.

“Republicans are less likely to be convinced that face masks will become a social norm. Close to one in two Republicans (54%) still expect it will become a regular part of life over the next year, but three in 10 say it will not be normalized, or 30% vs. 20% of U.S. adults,” the poll reported.

In the meantime, market analysts are struggling to track the current sales of face masks, described by CNBC as an “explosion.” Marketwatch also predicts U.S. sales of masks will increase by 153% this year. The BBC now reports that big-name rock bands are now including face masks in their branded merchandise.

The phenomenon will likely expand. The pollster YouGov is also tracking the trends, reporting that the use of face masks rose by 44 percentage points from mid-March to mid-April. Across the nation, half of Americans now don a mask and go about their business.