- The racial gap in COVID-19 vaccination is closing, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center
- Pew reports that 70% of black American adults and 72% of whites over-18 have received at least one vaccine dose.
- White evangelical Protestants and those who do not have health insurance are the least likely to be vaccinated – each at a 57% vaccination rate
- The survey also found that 60% of the respondents agree with the statement, ‘Those who do not want to get vaccinated against Kovid are harming the country’.
The racial gap in COVID-19 vaccination is now closing with black adults as more likely to say white adults have been vaccinated.
According to A new Pew Research Center survey, 70 percent of black adults and 72 percent of white adults have received at least one dose.
Pew’s survey found that white evangelical Protestants and those who do not have health insurance are more likely to live without vaccinations.
And Republicans were far less likely to be vaccinated than Democrats.
The same survey found that 60 percent of Americans said they agreed with the statement, ‘Those who don’t want to get the Kovid vaccine are harming the country.’
The findings suggest that despite continued polarization, most Americans are on the same page about vaccines and other COVID precautions.
A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds that the racial gap in COVID-19 vaccination is closing. Pictured: A high school vaccination clinic in Florida, September 2021
Nearly 70 percent of both black and white adults have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine – closing the earlier divide – Pew survey finds
Earlier in the introduction of vaccination, many public health experts had expressed concern about the apparent difference in vaccination rates.
Black Americans were being vaccinated at a lower rate than white Americans.
Experts point to vaccine hesitancy in this population, as historical events of black Americans being more likely to distrust the American medical system. Tuskegee Syphilis Study As well as today’s experiences.
White Americans also had greater access to vaccines in early 2021 as older adults were prioritized in the rollout.
life expectancy in white adults becomes more compared to life expectancy in black adults.
In addition, white Americans are over-represented in healthcare professions – another group that was prioritized for vaccine access in early 2021.
As vaccine rollouts continue, however, the dynamics have changed.
Later in the spring and summer, white Americans were vaccinated at lower rates, while more black Americans sought their shots.
Men and women have similar vaccination rates (left) while older adults are more likely to be vaccinated than younger adults (right)
Republicans are much less likely to be vaccinated than Democrats (left). White Evangelical Protestants are the religious group least likely to be vaccinated (right)
New polling data from the Pew Research Center underscores this closing vaccination gap.
The data are based on a survey of more than 10,000 US adults conducted between August 23 and August 29, 2021.
The Pew researchers designed the survey to be representative of the US population based on gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, and other demographic attributes.
Overall, the survey found that 73 percent of American adults said they would receive at least one vaccine dose.
It aligns with the data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says that 76 percent of adults have received at least one dose and 65 percent have been fully vaccinated by September 15.
The survey revealed similar vaccination rates among black and white adults: 70 percent of black adults and 72 percent of white adults reported receiving at least one vaccine dose.
This is significantly lower than the rates reported earlier in 2021.
In July, a KFF analysis found that ‘less than half of all black and Hispanic people in nearly all reporting states have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.’
Many Americans – including those who have been vaccinated – expressed reservations about the vaccines, although the majority agreed they are important for safety.
The Pew Research Center survey additionally found that White Evangelical Protestants and those without health insurance were the least likely to be vaccinated.
In both groups, only 57 percent of survey respondents reported receiving a single vaccine dose.
Pew found that Republicans are also much less likely to be vaccinated than Democrats.
While 86 percent of Democrats and Dem-leading independents have received at least one vaccine dose, only 60 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have reported being vaccinated.
Overall, 60 per cent of those surveyed said that they agree with the statement, ‘Those who do not want to get the Kovid vaccine are harming the country.’
Most of the respondents also agreed to some degree of the need for vaccines for public places.
About 61 percent said they supported the need for a vaccine for airplane travel, while 57 percent supported the need to personally attend college and 56 percent supported the need for sporting events and concerts .
Most adults support vaccine requirements in public settings such as air travel, university classes, and sporting events.
The small number supported vaccine requirements for indoor dining and shopping – 50 percent for dining out and 45 percent for going inside stores and businesses.
Still, many respondents to the survey expressed concerns about vaccines—including those who opted to get their shots.
More than half of the respondents said they felt ‘there is too much pressure on Americans to get the COVID vaccine’. Of the unvaccinated respondents, 88 percent agreed with that statement.
A higher number – 61 percent – said they believe we do not yet know about all the potential health risks from vaccines.
Most Americans said Covid restrictions were worth the cost
The Pew survey also found some agreement around other…
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