Poll: Plurality of voters believe Trump’s refusal to wear masks in public deters Americans from wearing masks themselves | TheHill

Forty-four percent of voters in a new poll said people are less likely to wear masks when President TrumpDonald John TrumpWayfair refutes QAnon-like conspiracy theory that it’s trafficking children Stone rails against US justice system in first TV interview since Trump commuted his sentence Federal appeals court rules Trump admin can’t withhold federal grants from California sanctuary cities MORE does not wear a mask in public to lower the spread of the coronavirus.

The July 7-10 Hill-HarrisX poll survey was taken before Trump donned a face mask during a visit to Walter Reed Hospital, the first time he did so in front of cameras since the CDC recommended face masks to slow the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Thirty-two percent of registered voters said the president’s refusal to don a mask makes people more likely to wear a mask, while 24 percent said it has no effect.

The survey found a majority of Democratic voters believe Trump’s refusal to wear face masks makes people less likely to wear them. Sixty-three percent of Democrats gave that answer, along with 43 percent of independents. 

By contrast, just 22 percent of Republican voters felt people were less likely to wear masks if Trump did not wear one.

Lawmakers in both parties have warned about the politicization of masks while arguing that officials should wear them to set an example.

The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted online among 2,841 registered voters between July 7 and 10. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points. 

—Gabriela Schulte