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> That's ridiculous, especially given the new studies that show that masks didn't prevent spread at all, even according to Fauci.

Those studies are flawed. They make no distinction between N95s, surgical coverings, cloth masks, and fit testing. Those are all huge factors. Properly fitted, high quality respiratory protection is effective.

One big failing on the messaging to the general public is not making these distinctions.

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The other problem is that consistency of use matters a lot but is hard to capture in surveys. People say “I always wore a mask” and sometimes that meant “I wore a well-fitted N95 every time I was indoors” and other times it meant “I wore a loose surgical mask when grocery shopping and work but also ate out 5 nights a week”.

This kind of work is like trying to find effective strategies for reducing alcoholism or obesity rates when you know that many people will fill out a questionnaire with the answers shifted out of optimism or shame. Simple random controlled trials are challenging in those situations.

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