Nobody always does the opposite though. Nor anybody always does what their friends say. Regardless it's orthogonal to freedom, being free includes being able to always do the opposite of what one's told.
Sure they will not always do the opposite of what their opposition party says, but the constructive "we don't care what the libs say, we do it because it is the right thing"-topics are kinda rare these days.
As for masking, I for one don't wear a mask because I read the studies [1], I have not heard the "authoritative leader" advertising them one way or another and certainly not because I think they are beneficial for me but I want to own the libs. Can't say for everyone but I suspect a lot of people are like me, not necessarily reading studies but do what they think benefits them.
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903751/
2. https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/politics/donald-trump-covid-1...
Also: the consequence of your study shouldn't be not to wear masks, but to wear masks that work (the study just shows evidence for plain cloth masks, which at least everybody on central europe stopped wearing in the second wave).
Also: there are manyfold reason to do something of course. I'd be highly interested in the rational explaination of the GOP policy on all things covid tho (first the virus didn't exist and simulataneously was just like the flu for example). This might not have been the common joes opinion, but watching capa it certainly painted a clear picture
> the consequence of your study shouldn't be
Well, you are free to make your own conclusions and I am free to make mine. I repeat myself, but this is an example of people actually "using their head" as you suggested instead of doing the opposite just to piss you off.
>I'd be highly interested in the rational explaination of the GOP policy
Sure, direct me (e.g. provide with a link or some other reference) to the points of the GOP policy you are interested in. Ones that you mentioned do not seem to appear in any GOP policy I could find, to the contrary, "the virus does not exist" had been the topic of the Left in November 19-February 20 e.g. https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/079-20/mayor-d... or is this the old HN's trope "Ah, I am an European so all Americans are GOP to me, that's how far to the left we are in Europe!"?.