Americans are split after a federal judge struck down airplane mask mandate
![Airplane passengers wearing masks](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VHnoDHAccbYecYm2aqPU2J-415-80.jpg)
For the first time in two years, Americans can fly maskless after a 33-year-old Trump-appointed federal judge in Florida struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate for planes and public transportation on Monday, claiming the CDC overstepped its authority and failed to justify its decision.
Video showed an airline pilot announcing the court's decision mid-flight. Passengers cheered, and one man yelled, "Finally!"
But not everyone was cheering.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation and analysis by Washington Post correspondent Philip Bump, the country was divided almost evenly on whether the mask mandate for trains and planes should be extended or be allowed to expire.
The largest split was along partisan lines. Around 70 percent of Democrats supported keeping the mandate, while nearly 80 percent of Republicans said to let it expire. Americans were also divided by vaccination status. The jabbed favored extending the mandate, but only by a slim margin. The unvaccinated, on the other hand, overwhelmingly wanted to go mask-less, with over 70 percent opposing the mandate.
This is not surprising, since partisanship is a strong predictor of vaccination status, and vaccination status is a strong predictor of support for COVID restrictions. "[V]accination status has long been intertwined with how people view the virus. If you think it's a serious risk, you will get vaccinated and want to see more people wearing masks. If you don't think it's a serious risk, you won't. And those views overlap with party, as they have for most of the pandemic," Bump wrote.
Even the split between people with chronic health conditions and people without was less drastic than the partisan divide. Those with a chronic health condition backed the mandate by a 56-43 margin, while those with no such condition opposed the mandate 55-44.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
The Week contest: Tattoo prediction
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Escape seaside in Newport, Rhode Island
The Week Recommends For the quintessential New England experience, head to the Classic Coast
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The long-awaited return of the college football video game
In the Spotlight EA Sports' 'College Football 25' is the first installment of the series in 11 years
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Brexit, Matt Hancock and black swans: five takeaways from Covid inquiry report
The Explainer UK was 'unprepared' for pandemic and government 'failed' citizens with flawed response, says damning report
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Should masks be here to stay?
Talking Points New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a mask ban. Here's why she wants one — and why it may not make sense.
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Covid might be to blame for an uptick in rare cancers
The explainer The virus may be making us more susceptible to certain cancers
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Long Covid and chronic pain: is it all in the mind?
The Explainer 'Retraining the brain' could offer a solution for some long Covid sufferers
By The Week UK Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published