Table 1.
Reported mask use, experience with COVID-19 and beliefs about health/mask use.
| Mask use patterns and behaviours | (N = 2343) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mask use for any reason | 1700 | (72.6%) |
| Mask use during COVID-19 pandemic | 1683 | (71.8%) |
| Adherence to government guideline on masks | ||
| Always followed guidelines | 1561 | (66.6%) |
| Sometimes followed guidelines | 422 | (18.0%) |
| Wore mask even before guidelines | 184 | (7.9%) |
| Did not follow guidelines | 176 | (7.5%) |
| Prior experience with masks | (N = 1700) | |
|---|---|---|
| Other reasons for past use of masks | ||
| Cleaning or dusting | 306 | (18.0%) |
| Work requirement | 216 | (12.7%) |
| Building/home repairs | 200 | (11.8%) |
| Bushfire or wildfire smoke | 82 | (4.8%) |
| Any negative issues faced while wearing masks | 382 | (22.5%) |
| Feeling embarrassed | 141 | (8.3%) |
| Being stared at | 93 | (5.5%) |
| Receiving negative comments | 88 | (5.2%) |
| Receiving racist comments | 56 | (3.3%) |
| Being mistaken as being infected | 51 | (3.0%) |
| Being laughed at | 40 | (2.4%) |
| Change in other risk reduction measures during the pandemic | (N = 1683) | |
|---|---|---|
| No change | 991 | (58.9%) |
| More strict on other behaviours | 335 | (19.9%) |
| Less strict on hand washing only | 155 | (9.2%) |
| Less strict on physical distancing only | 138 | (8.2%) |
| Less strict on both hand-washing and physical distancing | 60 | (3.6%) |
| Experience with COVID-19 | (N = 2343) | |
|---|---|---|
| Experiencing chest infection, cold or flu-like illness in March–June 2020 | 293 | (12.5%) |
| Tested for COVID-19 | 609 | (26.0%) |
| Tested because of contact with a case, without falling sick | 149 | (6.4%) |
| Tested after falling sick | 147 | (6.3%) |
| Tested for other reasons | 313 | (13.4%) |
| Diagnosed with COVID-19 | 123 | (5.2%) |
| Knowing a family member, friend or colleague who was diagnosed with COVID-19 | 874 | (37.3%) |
| Risk and efficacy perception | (N = 2343) | |
|---|---|---|
| Health self-rating (1–100) | 66.6 ± 20.2 | |
| Perceived severity of COVID-19 (1–100) | 62.0 ± 25.2 | |
| Perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 (1–100) | 54.8 ± 23.5 | |
| Perceived effectiveness of masks (1–100) | ||
| N95/P2 masks | 66.5 ± 21.5 | |
| Surgical masks | 60.8 ± 21.9 | |
| Cloth masks | 54.1 ± 22.5 | |
| Perception of other preventive behaviours while wearing masks | ||
| Need to wash hands | 1647 | (97.9%) |
| Need to maintain 1.5-m distance from others | 1641 | (97.5%) |
| Confidence in national government (Likert 0–4) | 2 | (1–3) |
| Confidence in state/local government (Likert 0–4) | 3 | (2–3) |
| Trust in COVID-19 information from national government (Likert 0–4) | 2 | (1–3) |
| Trust in COVID-19 information from state/local government (Likert 0–4) | 2 | (2–3) |
*Statistically significant at α = 0.05.
Note: (a) Percentages may not add up to 100% in some questions because participants could choose more than one options.
(b) Mean ± SD were reported for sliding scale (1–100; 1 = minimum and 100 = maximum) questions. Median (IQR range) were reported for Likert scale (0–4) questions.