Masks in 2023 – A Study of People’s Habit in Post-Pandemic Time

During the COVID 19 pandemic, people started wearing facemasks all over the world. Even now with COVID declining, you can find people in Jakarta wearing facemasks. This is because even with new laws passing and things returning to normal, some people still believe wearing a mask is necessary. Therefore, knowing more about people’s preference for wearing masks seems interesting. We decided to do a survey poll on the use of facemasks considering it as a social issue.

We distributed a questionnaire of seven questions to 25 people through WhatsApp and requested them to forward the questionnaire to the people they know. The questionnaire was open for three days from March 12, 2023, to March 15, 2023. In total 71 people participated in our poll, mostly from Indonesia, while some from the Netherlands. The sample size was equally balanced with male and female respondents. Respondents who have answered the questionnaire have indirectly consented to us using their information for our project.

In general, nearly all 71 responses accurately use a face mask 10 hours a day. Out of that 38 people think that wearing a face mask is still necessary. This is because of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, in response to that, people started wearing masks. The use of masks was enforced to slow the spread of COVID-19. Because of these enforcements, many people still wear masks nowadays as a habit or because of fear of COVID, even though it is not enforced anymore.

However, out of all the respondents, 61% of them said they dislike wearing a mask. From the answers, we could conclude that our respondents find facemasks uncomfortable to wear, a hassle, it’s hard to breathe, and other reasons. Interestingly, out of those 38 people who said yes to the previous question (do you think wearing a facemask is still necessary), 16 said they didn’t like wearing them and only wore them for safety. The other 22 liked wearing the masks for various reasons. So, we can summarize that only 16 people think that wearing a mask is still necessary because of health reasons.

To the next question, what kind of mask do they prefer, 77.8% said they preferred single-use masks because of their practicality and safety. This is because they view single use masks as cleaner. The other 22% said they preferred reusable masks, because they are more convenient and comfortable, or as a fashion statement, and because they don’t want to keep spending money on masks.

In addition, 27.8% said no to wearing a new face mask every day; however, the major proportion (72.2%) says they do change masks every day. Most participants use a new face mask daily because of hygiene issues. This makes sense, because the whole purpose of wearing a mask is to protect yourself from any airborne diseases. However, now in 2023, individuals wear face masks as a fashion statement or social pressure, people may repeat their masks. However, the majority of our respondents use a new facemask every single-day.

From this poll, we can conclude that in 2023, most people who still wear masks don’t actually do it for any health reasons, but rather because over the three years of COVID, they have gotten used to of wearing masks, even considering it a fashion statement. This is a very interesting social phenomenon because when COVID started, most people disliked wearing facemasks and they felt forced to do that. Now that COVID fear is somewhat subsiding, and masks are no longer enforced, the opposite happens, where many people are actually enjoying wearing them. Some people also may still feel the social pressure of wearing masks, even though it isn’t there anymore. During the pandemic, wearing masks was considered polite and ethical by most people. Now that the pandemic is over, many people may still feel that social pressure to wear a mask. This also indicates that masks have become a kind of fashion trend in this recent post-pandemic time. This can also be supported by the 22.8% of respondents who prefer wearing reusable masks then the standard blue or grey disposable face masks, as they can be worn with patterns and decorations of their choosing, making it more of a fashion piece than a protective item. In conclusion, we can gather from this poll that wearing masks is still prevalent in 2023, not because of the pandemic but because of the social changes and pressures created during the pandemic that has now carried on to this post-pandemic time.

Authors:

Angelina Devi Kalijan

Bryan Angelo

Gregory Arthur Santoso

Editor: Annapurna Sinha