Singaporeans are prioritising face mask function over fashion, according to new research from financial comparison website Finder.com.
According to Finder data, 76 per cent of Singaporean adults – the equivalent of 3,526,400 people – said that they currently own either a cloth, surgical, homemade, medical-grade, fashionable face mask, or a face shield.
A Google survey of 1,201 Singaporean adults reveals that blue surgical masks are the most popular, with 44 per cent saying that they currently own one.
The next most popular type of face mask is the cloth mask (35%) followed by a medical-grade mask (15%).
The data also revealed that women are more likely to have a specified face mask than men (84% compared to 74%), and that among age groups, the 55-64 age bracket has the highest rate of mask ownership (89%) and the 25-34 age bracket has the lowest (75%).
Compared to 14 other countries, Singapore ranks 11th for face mask adoption, tied with Hong Kong and Brazil.
That is behind the UK (97%), South Africa (90%), the Philippines (87%), and Mexico (85%). Singapore is ahead of only New Zealand (71%) and Australia (58%).
All countries bar the Philippines favour either a cloth face mask or a blue surgical face mask.
Cloth face masks are most prevalent in the USA, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and the UK, while blue surgical face masks are most prevalent in Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, and Australia.
Meanwhile, Filipinos are most likely to own a face shield.
Homemade masks are least popular in Hong Kong (5%), Italy, and Singapore (7% each), while they are most popular in the US (25%), Brazil (24%). and the UK (22%).
