Digital Commons @ IWU

Mask wearing in a pandemic: An investigation of racial stereotypes

Government recommendations to battle the current pandemic include the wearing of face masks. However, recent research has shown that not all individuals wearing masks are treated equally: Given the common stereotypes around mask-wearing and crime, along with the history of racial stereotypes, black men wearing face masks tend to be judged as more threatening than white men. Nevertheless, it remains unclear from this previous research whether the negative judgment holds true for women as well. In the current study, each participant completed a questionnaire to gauge racial resentment, viewed a picture of a black or white woman either wearing a face mask or not, and then answered questions related to how suspicious, or cautious they found the women. Results will show if people tend to judge black and white women in masks differently, and whether this perception varies based upon the viewers’ own racist tendencies.