Poll Shows Increased Willingness Among Black and Hispanic Communities to Receive Vaccine – TAPinto.net
NEWARK, NJ — As coronavirus infection rates drop, Black and Hispanic communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic saw “significant gains” in their willingness to be vaccinated, according to a recent poll commissioned by Newark-based nonprofit Project Ready.
The share of Black voters willing to be vaccinated increased from 62% in February to 69% in May, while 83% of Hispanic voters say they will be vaccinated, compared to 77% in February, according to the poll.
The poll also comes just weeks after Gov. Phil Murphy announced that vaccines were eligible to youth ages 12 and up in New Jersey. With vaccines now being available for adolescents, the report found that Black (54%) and Hispanic (59%) parents of middle and high school students are more likely to say they will vaccinate their children than white parents (39%).
“Even as they remain far less likely to already be vaccinated, communities of color are becoming increasingly comfortable with receiving the COVID-19 vaccines, and that’s a credit to the leaders across New Jersey whose outreach is showing early results,” Project Ready Executive Director Shennell McCloud said.
The poll was conducted online from May 15-20 using dynamic online sampling technology and text messaging to attain a sample reflective of registered voters.
Change Research, a San-Francisco-based data collection organization, polled nearly 1,200 people in New Jersey. This included an oversample of 343 voters in Newark. Post-stratification weights were made on age, gender, political region, education, the 2020 vote, and race and ethnicity to reflect the distribution of voters statewide.
The two biggest reasons cited by those who haven’t been vaccinated are side effects and trust in the government, McCloud noted. The numbers suggest that government and public health officials must continue to work directly with people to build trust and deliver vaccines to neighborhood providers they can trust, she said.
While the vaccination rate is lowest among communities of color and highest among white voters, many additional Black and Hispanic voters say they are willing to be vaccinated.
Only 35% of Black voters say they are already vaccinated, but an additional 34% say they either have an appointment to receive the vaccine (10%), definitely plan to receive the vaccine (10%) or probably will receive the vaccine (14%), according to the poll.
By comparison, 56% of Hispanic and 68% of white voters say they are already vaccinated, with an additional 26% of Hispanic voters and 4% of white voters saying they would get the vaccine.
Some of the most common reasons cited for not getting the vaccine included concerns about side effects; trust in the government; individuals who believe they don’t need it; concerns about a rushed timeline; and waiting to confirm it is safe.
“This survey data demonstrates the significant progress we’ve made as a state in educating people about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in communities of color,” said University Hospital CEO and President Shereef Elnahal.
Elnahal, who has headed multiple efforts in Newark to get residents vaccinated to combat the city’s low vaccination rate, explained that while the numbers do indicate some optimism, “it also shows how much work we have to do to continue to get people vaccinated so that every community is protected from the virus.”
In Newark, other local officials and community leaders have already taken several steps to increase the vaccination rate, particularly in the city’s underserved communities.
Earlier this year, Essex County gathered ministers from religious organizations in Newark, East Orange and Bloomfield, including Rev. Joe Carter of New Hope Baptist Church, to receive their vaccine. The idea, officials said, was that residents would be more inclined to receive a vaccine if they saw their religious leaders get inoculated, safely.
In March, local officials, organizations and businesses moved to increase access to the vaccine in the city’s underserved communities with the launch of the Newark Equitable Vaccine Initiative. The initiative is part of a national pilot program spearheaded by The Rockefeller Foundation’s model for increasing vaccine equity and access for Black and brown Americans. Newark was one of seven cities in the country to be selected for the program.
Citywide, pop-up clinics have also been held in each ward, an initiative championed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka with plans to host more throughout this summer.
“The only people that are going to make other people get vaccinated are their neighbors,” Baraka said during a pop-up clinic event at Ivy Hill Park in May. “If I see my neighbor get vaccinated, I’m going to get vaccinated. If people that I know personally got vaccinated and they’re doing well, then I’m going to get vaccinated.”