[minikites]

>the common phrase is "how can we know it won't have long term effects that are unknown now?".

If this was truly the fear, we would see these types of people wearing masks religiously. But we don't, which means it's not a medical fear, it's a political one.

[ceoloide]

You are painting people in big strokes. The people I know that fear long term effects wear mask religiously and follow safety procedures.

These are also the same people that won't get a flu vaccine, and resist getting the vaccines for all but the most deadly of diseases.

Another comment in this submission mentioned being bad at evaluating risk, perhaps that's what it is. They fixate on the unknowns of a vaccine, but they aren't able to compare it effectively to the risks of the virus.

[minikites]

>The people I know that fear long term effects wear mask religiously and follow safety procedures.

This is not even remotely the common case. Overall, the overlap between anti-mask and anti-vaccination individuals is massive:

https://biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2020/09/...

The core of both is the same: anti-science and anti-society.

[onos]

It is certainly a mix. Eg one of the demographic groups least likely to be vaccinated are blacks, who obviously lean democrat.