Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination Among Black Women And Men

The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, this project tracks the dynamic nature of public opinion as vaccine development and distribution unfold, including vaccine confidence and hesitancy, trusted messengers and messages, as well as the public’s experiences with vaccination.

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people of color, and previous KFF analysis of federal, state and local data has found that people of color, particularly Black people, are experiencing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths. This burden is reflected in survey data, as large shares of Black adults (72%) say they are worried that they or someone in their family will get sick from the coronavirus. As the vaccination efforts roll out, a recent KFF analysis shows that across states reporting vaccination data by race and ethnicity, patterns emerge with Black and Hispanic people receiving smaller shares of vaccinations compared to their share of COVID-19 cases and share among the total population. These disparities likely reflect a variety of factors, including availability of information about how and when to get the vaccines as well as the ability to navigate sign-up processes and access vaccine clinics. Individuals’ willingness to get the vaccine and their concerns and questions about the vaccine may also be a factor. As such, understanding attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination within these communities is one step towards addressing these disparities. Despite Black adults being among the groups most impacted by the pandemic, the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds that many want to wait and see how the vaccine will work for others before getting vaccinated against COVID-19 themselves when it becomes available to them for free, and one in seven say they will definitely not get vaccinated.

This new analysis examines Black adults’ responses by gender and finds that, while Black men and women are similar in many of their views, there is a gender gap in some COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and intentions.

Vaccine Hesitancy And Enthusiasm Among Black Women And Men

About one-third of Black women and four in ten Black men say they have already gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or want to get vaccinated “as soon as they can,” while about four in ten Black women and men (41% and 45%, respectively) say they want to “wait and see” how the vaccine is working for others before getting vaccinated themselves. However, a much larger share of Black women (19%) compared to 7% of Black men say they “definitely will not” get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to them for free, suggesting greater reluctance to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination among Black women.

Attitudes And Experiences Related To COVID-19 Vaccine Enthusiasm Among Black Women and Men

Several factors may influence people’s intentions and enthusiasm for getting a COVID-19 vaccine, including their level of worry about getting sick, historic experiences with health care institutions, and their views on the current vaccine distribution effort.

Reflecting historical mistreatment of people of color and ongoing racism and discrimination in the health care system, about half of Black women and men (53% and 45%, respectively), say that they trust the health care system to do what is right for them and their community “only some” or “almost none” of the time. This is consistent with a KFF/The Undefeated Survey conducted in summer 2020 that found that Black adults were less likely to trust doctors and hospitals, and that one in five Black adults, rising to one quarter of Black women and almost four in ten Black mothers, said they had personally experienced race-based discrimination while receiving health care in the past year.

When asked how they feel about the current status of COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S., a majority of Black women and men say they feel “optimistic” (65% and 66%, respectively), though six in ten Black women also report feeling “frustrated” (60%) compared to about half of Black men (48%). Further, about six in ten Black women (57%) and almost half of Black men (47%) say they are not confident that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. is taking the needs of Black people into account.

Concerns About Getting A COVID-19 Vaccine Among Black Women And Men

The Monitor also reveals a gender difference among Black adults in the level of concern about certain aspects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Asked about a variety of things they might be concerned about, nine in ten Black women say they are concerned that “the long-term effects of the COVID-19 vaccines are unknown”, including six in ten who are “very” concerned. Large majorities of Black women not yet vaccinated are also concerned that they might experience serious side effects from the vaccine (87%), that the vaccines are not as safe (80%) or not as effective (75%) as they are said to be, or that they might get COVID-19 from the vaccine (68%). While large shares of Black men share these concerns, Black women are significantly more likely than Black men to say they are concerned they might experience serious side effects (87% vs. 61%) or that they might get COVID-19 from the vaccine (68% vs. 38%), indicating that there may be a greater need for messaging and information to address these concerns among Black women in particular.

The concerns that Black women and men have may be alleviated by more information and discussions, as majorities say that they do not have enough information about many of the aspects of the COVID-19. While some of these gaps in information mirror their concerns regarding side effects and effectiveness, there is also a need for more information about the logistics (when and where) to get the vaccine.

Majorities of Black women and men who have not been vaccinated say they do not have enough information about the potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine (69% and 65%), where they will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine (65% and 58%), the effectiveness of the vaccine (63% and 59%), when people like them will be able to get vaccinated (62% and 70%) and how their state is deciding priority groups (57% and 50%).

When it comes to specific messages that may make people more likely to get vaccinated, Black women and men react similarly as the public overall to many messages such as the ability to return to normal life (58% Black women, 63% Black men), protection from illness (56% vs. 68%) and the vaccine’s effectiveness (55% vs. 62%).

Table 1: Responses To Pro-Vaccine Messages And Information Among Total And By Gender Among Black Adults
Percent who say that hearing each of the following would make them more likely to get vaccinated:	Total adults	Total Black adults	Black women	Black men
The vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in preventing illness from COVID-19	57%	58%	55%	62%
The vaccine will help protect you from getting sick from COVID-19	56	61	56	68
The quickest way for life to return to normal is for most people to get vaccinated	54	61	58	63
Millions of people have already safely been vaccinated for COVID-19	46	50	46	54
We need people to get vaccinated to get the U.S. economy back on track	45	51	49	54
A doctor or health care provider you trust has gotten the vaccine	38	43	43	43
There is no cost to get the vaccine	36	33	33	34
A close friend or family member got vaccinated for COVID-19	32	35	37	34
NOTE: Asked among those who say they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Despite the positive reported reaction to pro-vaccination messages and information, a number of negative vaccine messages and information may make Black women and men less likely to receive the vaccine. Reflecting their heightened level of concern about vaccine side effects, about half of Black women and men who have not yet been vaccinated say that hearing that “a small number of people have experienced a serious allergic reaction” or that “some people were experiencing short-time side effects like pain or fever” from the vaccine would make them less likely to get vaccinated. Three in ten Black women also say that they would be deterred after hearing that masks and social distancing will still be required after getting vaccinated (28%), or that two vaccine doses several weeks apart are required (30%).

Table 2: Responses To Negative Vaccine Messages And Information Among Total And By Gender Among Black Adults
Percent who say that hearing each of the following would make them less likely to get vaccinated:	Total adults	Total Black adults	Black women	Black men
A small number of people have experienced a serious allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine	39%	49%	50%	48%
Some people were experiencing short-term side effects like pain or fever from the COVID-19 vaccine	33	46	46	47
You will need to continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing even after getting vaccinated	20	26	28	24
You had to receive two doses of the vaccine several weeks apart	18	26	30	22
NOTE: Asked among those who say they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Messengers

As previously reported, 84% of Black adults who have not yet been vaccinated say they would be likely to turn to a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider for information when deciding whether to get a vaccination. At least six in ten say they would be likely to turn to other sources such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (71%), their state or local health department (71%), a pharmacist (65%), or family or friends (61%). One-third of Black adults say they would turn to a religious leader for information (33%). Similar shares of Black women and men say they would be likely to turn to each of these sources of information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.