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Three out of four Philly residents think you should wear a mask when leaving home

But only 42% of Philly residents said they think their neighbors agree it is important to stay at home.

Barbara Mayer wears a mask walking to shop at Del Buono's Bakery and Carmen’s Deli in Stratford, New Jersey past the statues of mask wearing Blues Brothers movie characters. To stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus all shoppers must wear masks to enter essential businesses.
Barbara Mayer wears a mask walking to shop at Del Buono's Bakery and Carmen’s Deli in Stratford, New Jersey past the statues of mask wearing Blues Brothers movie characters. To stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus all shoppers must wear masks to enter essential businesses.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

Three out of four Philadelphians believe that all residents should wear masks when they leave their homes, according to a survey conducted by the city in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania.

“Thank God there’s so many smart people out there,” Mayor Jim Kenney said at a news conference Wednesday as he announced the results of the survey.

But Philadelphians were less likely to report that their neighbors also understand the importance of social distancing measures. Just 42% of residents said their neighbors agree it is important to stay home, minimize contact with others, and keep a 6-foot distance between people.

The online survey asked 626 adult Philadelphia residents about their perceptions of public health precautions during the coronavirus pandemic. Results, gathered between May 5 and May 8, were weighted by age, gender, race, and education to reflect the city’s overall population. The survey had a 6.5% margin of error at the 95% confidence level.

» READ MORE: How to properly wear a face mask

The survey asked residents whether they agree with public health precautions, and participants could respond that they strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree, or were unsure.

Black Philadelphians were more likely than the overall population to believe in the importance of health precautions, with 86% agreeing that it is important to stay home and minimize social contact with others.

» READ MORE: Coronavirus has exposed deep race inequity in health care. Can Philadelphia change the trend?

And women were more likely than men to believe that everyone in Philadelphia needs to wear a mask every time they leave the house; 85% of women agreed it is important, compared with 65% of men.

Asked about wearing masks every time people leave their homes, 55% of residents said they strongly agree everyone should do so and 20% said they somewhat agree, while 12% said they somewhat disagree, 12% said they strongly disagree, and 1% said they were unsure.

The survey also found:

  1. 68% of residents agreed it is important to stay home unless you work at an essential job.

  2. 88% of residents said they were aware that there is a stay-at-home order in effect in Philadelphia.

  3. 68% of residents said they were very worried or somewhat worried that they or a family member would get sick from COVID-19.

  4. 86% of residents said they knew they could request an absentee ballot to vote by mail in the June 2 primary election. Hispanic residents were least likely to be aware of that, with 64% responding they knew of the vote-by-mail option.

Kenney said Wednesday that residents must continue taking precautions and practicing social distancing.

“If you are the one out of four who doesn’t get it, your neighbors know how important this is to keep their families and friends safe, and we need you to get with the program,” he said.