Vaccine Hesitancy Among Hispanic Adults

The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project that tracks public attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and focus groups, this project will track the dynamics of public opinion as vaccine development progresses, including the trust and reluctance of the vaccine, trusted ambassadors and messages, and the public's experience of vaccination at the beginning of its dissemination.

Vaccine Reluctance in Hispanic Adults

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected people of color. A previous KFF analysis found that Hispanics along with Black and Native American and Alaskan (AIAN) people were over-represented in coronavirus cases and were more likely to have worse results than their white counterparts. Additionally, Hispanic adults were harder hit by the economic impact of the pandemic, as the December 2020 KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey found that half (52%) of Hispanic adults say their household has been living since the coronavirus began to spread The US lost a job or an income in February 2020 – compared to fewer white adults (42%) who say the same thing. Because there is ever a risk of coronavirus, four in ten Hispanic adults (43%) say they are a vital workforce during the coronavirus outbreak (78% of all employed Hispanic adults compared to six in ten employed white and black adults) who have to work outside their home). With Hispanic adults among the groups hardest hit by the pandemic, the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor notes that while most Hispanics are open to vaccination, a significant proportion remains, especially among younger Hispanics who have at least some Expressing reluctance to vaccinate. Communication efforts aimed at reaching Hispanics must account for this and other heterogeneities. The purpose of this analysis is to shed light on what we know so far about vaccine reluctance among Hispanic adults, and which messages and trusted messengers could help ensure a solid vaccination effort for this key group.

Most Hispanic adults say they are likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, with seven in ten (71%) saying they "definitely get" (36%) or "probably get" (35%) the vaccine. While a similar proportion of white adults (73%) say they will likely or definitely receive the vaccine, Hispanic adults are less likely than their white counterparts to say they will "definitely" (36% versus 46%). Roughly one in four Hispanic adults says they “probably won't get it” (8%) or “definitely won't” (18%).

Figure 1: Seven in ten Hispanic adults say they will get a COVID-19 vaccine

One in four Hispanic adults (26%) says they are most excited to receive the vaccine and say they will receive the COVID-19 vaccine "as soon as possible." Another four in ten adults (43%) say they “wait and see” “How it works for others before getting the vaccine. One in ten (11%) say they will only receive the vaccine if they have to for work or other activities, and 18% of Hispanic adults say they will “definitely not” receive the vaccine, similarly like the proportion of white and black adults who say they definitely won't get the vaccine (15% each). While the majority of Hispanic adults say they are open to the vaccine, a smaller proportion of Hispanic adults compared to white adults say they are excited about wanting to get the vaccine as soon as possible (26% versus 40%).

Figure 2: One in four Hispanic adults says they'll get the vaccine as soon as possible. Four out of ten want to “wait and see”.

For Hispanic adults, the differences between age groups are more pronounced than for gender, education, and income. Consistent with the age gap between white adults, there is a generation gap among Hispanic adults when it comes to vaccine hesitation. While eight in ten Hispanic adults aged 50 or older say they will either "definitely" (44%) or "likely" (36%) will receive the COVID-19 vaccine, two-thirds of Hispanics under 50 say the same. In addition, when asked more precisely when they would like to be vaccinated, four in ten (38%) Hispanic adults over 50 say they want to be vaccinated "as soon as possible," compared to one in five younger adults who do say the same thing. In fact, the majority of younger Hispanic adults would prefer to wait (45%) before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. With approximately three in four Hispanic adults in the United States under the age of 55, these younger Hispanics will be a key group in vaccination efforts.

Although most Hispanic ground workers – a group consisting largely of adults under the age of 50 – say they will definitely or likely receive the vaccine (69%), only one in four (23%) say they want to receive the vaccine "As soon as they can," while one in five (18%) said they "only receive the vaccine when they need to", and a similar proportion of key workers say they "definitely will not" (18%) ). As efforts to spread the COVID-19 vaccine continue, vaccine uptake will be especially important among these Hispanic workers as they are more likely to have interactions with many other people.

Figure 3: Among Hispanics, larger proportions of younger adults and essential workers express vaccine reluctance

Hispanic Age gap in confidence in the vaccine

The December KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds that a generation confidence gap may be contributing to older Hispanic adults being more likely to say they want a COVID-19 vaccine "as soon as possible," while younger Hispanic adults may be more reluctant. A total of six in ten Hispanic adults say they are at least reasonably confident that a COVID-19 vaccine, when available, has been tested for safety, effectiveness (61%) and distributed fairly (61%), and that the development of the COVID-19 vaccine addresses the needs of Hispanics or Latinos (60%). However, Hispanic adults over the age of 50 are more likely than those under the age of 50 to state that they are confident about each of these points. A larger proportion of older adults say they are confident that a vaccine has been tested for safety and effectiveness (73% vs. 56%), that it will be distributed fairly (70% vs. 57%) and that the COVID-19 vaccine development takes into account the needs of Hispanic American or Latino (68% versus 56%).

Figure 4: Nearly seven in ten older Hispanic adults are confident that developing a COVID-19 vaccine will take people like them into account

While two-thirds of older Hispanic adults (67%) see vaccination against COVID-19 as "part of everyone's responsibility to protect the health of others," younger Hispanic adults under 50 disagree on whether to receive the vaccine as a collective responsibility (48%) or as a personal decision (50%). Half of Hispanic basic workers (52%) say vaccination is more of a “personal choice”.

Figure 5: Two-thirds of older Hispanic adults say vaccination is everyone's responsibility

Hispanic trust in public health messengers can help allay concerns among the most hesitant

Despite a significant proportion of younger Hispanic adults and Hispanic ground workers who are somewhat hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine, most Hispanic adults collectively state that they trust their own doctor or health care provider for reliable information about a COVID-19 vaccine (75%)) and majorities say they have the CDC (71%), the FDA (66%), their local health department (65%), Dr. Fauci (62%) or President-elect Joe Biden (58%). Even among Hispanic adults who say they want to “wait and see” before receiving the vaccine, at least six in ten say they trust these public health officials and organizations.

However, younger Hispanic adults in particular are less likely to trust their senior counterparts in government officials, including President-elect Joe Biden and government officials. About two-thirds of Hispanic adults, regardless of age, say they trust their local health department to provide reliable information about the COVID-19 vaccine, and about seven in ten or more trust their own doctors and the CDC.

Figure 6: Younger Hispanic adults have less reliance on political sources of information for the COVID-19 vaccine

In particular, many people, including many Hispanic adults, face additional barriers to vaccination, such as: For example, a lack of health insurance or a common source of care, lack of information about free vaccine vaccination, and logistical obstacles such as limited transportation. However, with the new Biden administration to take over the country's vaccine distribution efforts and address vaccine reluctance, Hispanic adults as a whole, as well as those somewhat reluctant to get vaccinated, appear open to information from organizations and individuals in the public To be healthcare.

Younger Hispanic adults in particular may need reassurance about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Additionally, those younger Hispanic adults who are hesitant about the vaccine may not be swayed by messages highlighting the importance of vaccination to the health of the broader community, but may be more receptive to information highlighting how vaccination does The right choice they can make to protect themselves, their families and get their lives back to normal.