It has turned out to be one of the most passionate debates the United States has ever seen - whether or not to wear a face mask during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020.

You don't have to look very far on YouTube to find a whole host of viral videos showing just how intense this subject is to so many people.

Even the so-called 'experts' have had varying opinions on the subject of masks since this pandemic began back in March.

To show how much variance there is in mask usage nationwide, the New York Times partnered with the global data and survey firm Dynata for an in-depth look.

250,000 survey responses were generated between July 2 and July 14, and that data was then used to create a map showing where masks are and aren't being used in America.

Mask Usage Map
New York Times/Dynata/Mapbox
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It's clear when you look at the map where a lot of the 'hotspots' of infections are, those are the places where more and more people are masking up, either by choice or by mandate.

California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Washington, New York. All places that have either seen massive numbers or are currently in the midst of a second wave of positive tests.

Not surprisingly, the less populated areas in the middle of the country aren't as likely to be mask wearers.

Even within South Dakota, the usage numbers vary greatly.

The area around the capital city of Pierre seems to be home to some of the most frequent mask wearers in the Mount Rushmore State. In Hughes County, when five people are gathered together, there's a 54 percent chance that all five will be wearing masks. In nearby Dewey County, it's 50 percent.

Parts of the Black Hills are covering up as well. Lawrence County has a 44 percent compliance rate, while in Pennington County, it's 42 percent.

East River, the numbers drop off considerably.

Minnehaha County residents were wearing masks about a third of the time (36%), while several counties (Yankton, Hanson, Davison, and Sanborn) were under 30 percent.

Around the world, the United States is 11th in mask usage at 59 percent overall. That puts us ahead of allies like France (54%), Canada (35%), Great Britain (19%), and Australia (10%).

Only one nation has a compliance rate of more than 90 percent (Phillipines - 92%), while five other nations top the 80 percent mark (Mexico - 84%, Spain - 84%, Hong Kong - 83%, Italy - 83%, and Tailand - 83%).


Fun Face Masks

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