The Self-Appraisal of Masking Instrument

• Published in: Measurement Instruments for the Social Sciences
• Main Authors: Block, Ray, Plutzer, Eric
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: DEU 2022
• Subjects: Sozialwissenschaften; Soziologie; Social sciences; sociology; anthropology; Corona-Pandemie; Covid-19; mask-wearing; Erhebungstechniken und Analysetechniken der Sozialwissenschaften; Gesundheitspolitik; Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis; Statistical Methods; Computer Methods; Health Policy; Gesundheitsverhalten; Infektionskrankheit; Prophylaxe; Einstellung; Befragung; Messinstrument; health behavior; contagious disease; prophylaxis; attitude; survey; measurement instrument; sami
• Online Access: https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/83022; https://doi.org/10.1186/s42409-022-00032-3

We explore mask-wearing behavior during the coronavirus pandemic using the Self-Appraisal of Masking Instrument (SAMI). We situate this survey-based instrument within a theory in which the decision to mask reflects social identity, an associated identity standard, and appraisals that generate feelings about oneself. Analyses of SAMI's empirical properties reveal that masking-specific emotional reactions are distinct from emotional reports related to current events and politics (discriminant validity). We also uncover evidence of predictive validity: expressed feelings about masking predict future voting more than 6 months later. We recommend SAMI to researchers interested in studying mask resistance in an increasingly polarized political climate, and the intuition behind SAMI could prove useful in other research contexts in which health decisions reflect a conscious comparison to standards held by those who share an identity or will otherwise pass judgment.