Despite mounting evidence that masks help slow the spread of coronavirus, science doesn’t always bridge the public divide. The debate over wearing masks has become a not just a health issue, but a political issue too.

"To see people ignore that [medical advice] or say it’s a hoax is really frustrating," says North Carolina State University political science professor Steven Greene.

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He says that gave him an idea. "I thought this was something that we can make a difference on."

Greene collaborated with University of North Carolina Chapel Hill social scientists and WRAL News to create public service announcements advocating for masks. One featured former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton saying, "In the span of a few short months, America has seen more deaths than the entire 38 years I served on active duty."

The second involved a white board with drawings demonstrating stadiums, movie theaters and restaurants filled with people. The message was simple: these venues can reopen if people start wearing masks.

"If you cannot effectively convey those messages to the public, it doesn’t matter," explains Greene.

The team didn’t stop with the PSAs. Greene says there was more to learn.

"It’s one thing to run a series of ads and say, ‘Hey, it would be great if you wear a mask.’ It’s another to say ‘Is this having an effect?’"

Greene’s researchers surveyed registered Republicans from the WRAL viewing area who watched the ads. The results were clear.

"The ultimate takeaway was, it worked," he said. Those who saw the ads were about 10% more likely to acknowledge the importance of masks versus those who didn’t see the PSAs.

Another takeaway was that the source of the ads mattered. Greene said, "We were able to show quite clearly that those people who were watching WRAL, again among the Republican viewers, had notably stronger positive views about wearing masks" compared to viewers of other local stations.

While some studies get criticized as coming from ivory tower academics, Greene argues crafting an effective message on masks offers real-world impact.

"If one person starts regularly wearing a mask that wasn’t, who knows, maybe we stopped a super spreader event," he said.