ArticleJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA2021
Why do people oppose mask wearing? A comprehensive analysis of U.S. tweets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence of Face Masks and Masking Policies for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and COVID-19 in Real-World Settings: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of face masks on dyspnea perception, cardiopulmonary parameters, and facial temperature in healthy adults.Narra J · 2024Trial
- The use and methodological reporting of large language models in qualitative research: a scoping review.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Article
- Parents' Multiperspective Views and Misinformation About COVID-19 Mitigation Measures During Tennessee School Board Meetings: Qualitative Content Analysis Using YouTube.JMIR infodemiology · 2026Article
- Topic and Sentiment Trends in Semaglutide Discussions on X: Subpopulation-Based Longitudinal Analysis.Online journal of public health informatics · 2026Article
- Neural correlates of risky monetary decision-making impacting others.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
- Photoinactivation of influenza viruses by modulated indoor daylight spectrum and intensity.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Social media crisis communication and public engagement during COVID-19 analyzing public health and news media organizations' tweeting strategies.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Application of an Innovative Methodology to Build Infrastructure for Digital Transformation of Health Systems: Developmental Program Evaluation.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Article
- Ideological Consistency and News Sharing as Predictors of Masking Among College Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Disclosure Patterns of Opioid Use Disorders in Perinatal Care During the Opioid Epidemic on X From 2019 to 2021: Thematic Analysis.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2024Article
- Longitudinal assessment of the impact of COVID-19 infection on mask-wearing behaviors.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Reporting of Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research Utilizing Social Media Data on Public Health Care: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Twitter users perceptions of AI-based e-learning technologies.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Why Do We Not Wear Masks Anymore during the COVID-19 Wave? Vaccination Precludes the Adoption of Personal Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions: A Quantitative Study of Taiwanese Residents.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
- A Comparison of ChatGPT and Fine-Tuned Open Pre-Trained Transformers (OPT) Against Widely Used Sentiment Analysis Tools: Sentiment Analysis of COVID-19 Survey Data.JMIR mental health · 2024Article
- Using Large Language Models for sentiment analysis of health-related social media data: empirical evaluation and practical tips.AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium · 2024Article
- Using the diffusion of innovations theory to understand factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination among tobacco users.PloS one · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveFacial masks are an essential personal protective measure to fight the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic. However, the mask adoption rate in the United States is still less than optimal. This study aims to understand the beliefs held by individuals who oppose the use of facial masks, and the evidence that they use to support these beliefs, to inform the development of targeted public health communication strategies. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe analyzed a total of 771 268 U.S.-based tweets between January to October 2020. We developed machine learning classifiers to identify and categorize relevant tweets, followed by a qualitative content analysis of a subset of the tweets to understand the rationale of those opposed mask wearing.
resultsWe identified 267 152 tweets that contained personal opinions about wearing facial masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While the majority of the tweets supported mask wearing, the proportion of anti-mask tweets stayed constant at about a 10% level throughout the study period. Common reasons for opposition included physical discomfort and negative effects, lack of effectiveness, and being unnecessary or inappropriate for certain people or under certain circumstances. The opposing tweets were significantly less likely to cite external sources of information such as public health agencies' websites to support the arguments.
conclusionsCombining machine learning and qualitative content analysis is an effective strategy for identifying public attitudes toward mask wearing and the reasons for opposition. The results may inform better communication strategies to improve the public perception of wearing masks and, in particular, to specifically address common anti-mask beliefs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.