Normalization and Civility: Attitudes and Trends Around Mask-Wearing among MacEwan Students in Fall 2024

Abstract

COVID-19 remains a prominent threat years after its initial sweep across the globe. Despite this, public health measures have fallen to the wayside; vaccine supplies face delays, rapid test kits are difficult to access, and mask-wearing now lacks the attention it received years prior. In this project, I examined current attitudes and trends around mask-wearing among MacEwan University students. Using grounded theory (Starks & Trinidad, 2007), I conducted one focus group with three MacEwan students, and qualitative observations from three different locations at MacEwan University. Mask-wearing on campus has become less common overall, and the mask’s once-salient status as an emotionally and politically charged symbol has lessened compared to previous pandemic years. Further, mask-wearing is not seen as a necessity to maintain public health or an intrusion on one’s autonomy, but as an individual choice for individual protection, adopted only in particular circumstances. As COVID-19 and other health crises continue to threaten our health and well-being, examining current attitudes around mask-wearing and mask mandates can provide direction for further action to mitigate COVID-19 and prevent future pandemics.