No, Face Masks Aren’t Dehumanizing

Bibliographic Data

ID6347485
AuthorsM Utych (0000-0003-3419-4141, Boise State University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume19
Issue3
Pages528-535
Publication date2021-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Studies Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1478-9299 • E-ISSN: 1478-9302
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1478929921993764
OpenAlexW3134138749
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

Wearing facial coverings has become a key element in the fight against COVID-19. However, deep partisan divisions have arisen over the adoption of face masks, with Democrats more supportive than Republicans in the United States. Among opponents, a common argument is that facial coverings serve to dehumanize the wearer. Using an experimental study, I find no evidence, using a nationally diverse US sample, that face masks are dehumanizing, whether worn by a White or Black person. In addition, I test for moderation by partisanship, which shows a lack of dehumanizing effects and provides some suggestive evidence that face masks can humanize the wearer, for Democrats, though these effects are small. Under no circumstances do I find evidence that face masks dehumanize the wearer, even among Republican respondents

Argument (complex analysis · Courage · Dehumanization · Face (sociological concept · Moderation · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Law · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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