What would convince California Latinos to get COVID vaccines? Survey suggests answers
Debunking vaccination myths, sharing the messages that matter most and having that information come from trusted community members may be the key to increasing Latino vaccination rates.
Despite the pandemic disproportionately impacting Latinos, many remain hesitant and unvaccinated.
But in research done on behalf of Turlock-based Legacy Health Endowment, pollster Justin Wallin found that Latinos are more likely to get vaccinated after hearing resonating themes and counter-arguments. They also are more inclined to listen to health information from messengers within their community, the CEO of J. Wallin Opinion Research said.
In a telephone survey Oct. 29 through Nov. 3, conducted by speakers of Spanish and English, 381 Latinos living in Newman, Patterson, Hughson, Livingston and Hilmar were asked their thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccines.
Findings show that Latinos perceive COVID-19 as the second most important issue facing their community, with homelessness being the leading concern.
Over half of the Latinos polled (56%) agreed that their needs were taken into account throughout the development of the COVID-19 vaccines. A majority (60%) also agreed that the vaccines have been thoroughly tested, and 76% say distribution is being handled in a fair way.
But in Stanislaus County, where Latinos make up a little over 47% of the population, less than half of those eligible (44%) are fully vaccinated, according to state data, and 48.1% are unvaccinated. The rest are partially vaccinated.
The numbers are similar in Merced County, home to a 61% Latino population, 51.5% of whom remain unvaccinated. Just 39% are fully vaccinated, and the rest are partially vaccinated.
Most (70%) survey respondents said they have received the COVID-19 vaccine. There was no meaningful difference between vaccinated parents and grandparents (69.4%) and those without kids or grandkids (70.8%).
Wait and see when it comes to kids
Another key finding noted by Wallin is that 49% of respondents agreed with the statement, “People say COVID-19 vaccines are safe, but I’m going to wait and see before I have my children or grandchildren get the vaccine.”
Vaccine hesitancy is a recurring theme within the Latino community, even among professionals, said Jeffery Lewis, president and CEO at EMC Health Foundation. The organization is focused on expanding health care for communities within its jurisdictions, made up of 19 ZIP codes throughout southern Stanislaus and northern Merced counties.
Lewis said he wanted the survey to focus on Latinos in the area to better understand their reasoning on vaccines and identify potential influencers, including children and grandchildren. “Our challenge and our opportunity is to help more families protect themselves,” he said, emphasizing urgency as the colder weather potentially brings other related health issues.
Wallin said his job is to determine concerns using the survey and find meaningful ways to communicate a message that addresses those doubts. All concerns are meaningful and need to be respected, he said.
“We’re not building a case judgment here,” Wallin said.
Opinion of parents, grandparents differ
On whether vaccination is a personal choice or everyone’s responsibility, Latinos were divided. Half (50.7%) felt it is everyone’s responsibility, compared to 47% who said it’s a personal choice and 2% who reported feeling unsure or refused to respond.
The data further show that Latino parents and grandparents have different perspectives and hold more concerns than those without children. For example, 36.7% of those with children or grandchildren reported feeling skeptical about vaccine testing, compared to 21.7% of those without.
Though most (66%) Latinos felt parents should have their children vaccinated, more (74.2%) respondents without kids or grandkids than (60.6%) those with them agreed with the statement. And among parents and grandparents, 53.3% said they are going to “wait and see” before having them vaccinated.
Of the unvaccinated parents and grandparents, 62.5% say they will never get the shots. On the other hand, nearly 21% say they are going to wait and see how it works out for others.
Half of grandparents and about a third of parents with family members ages 12 to 18 say they have yet to vaccinate them. Of those same people, half have not been vaccinated and say they will never do so.
A majority of all respondents (61%) agreed, however, that the most important reasons to have children vaccinated are commitment, obligation and family loyalty. The top two reasons for not getting children vaccinated as soon as possible are concerns about potential side effects (88.9%) and waiting for more evidence that vaccines are safe (63%).
Resonating themes, trusted messengers needed
But when respondents experienced what the poll calls “message testing,” a majority of them became more likely to get vaccinated. For instance, when they heard that COVID-19 vaccines don’t change or interact with DNA but instead deliver instructions to cells, a supermajority (68.7%) reported becoming more likely to get vaccinated.
Other messages resonated with fewer respondents, including that vaccines are safe for young children (60%), no risk to pregnant people (60%) and the only way to keep schools open and combat learning loss (61.3%). Themes that the vaccines are free, available to everyone regardless of documentation, don’t cause infertility and protect the old and vulnerable reportedly influenced at least half of respondents.
Wallin said when arguments are presented in a collected manner rather than shouting, you can get a significant amount of people to come to your side. However, he still feels there’s a group of people that can’t be convinced.
“We need to hear something that alleviates our concerns because concerns about getting sick or having children get sick, those are emotional and powerful,” he said. “We just need to respect that and speak to people.”
Among respondents, 71.3% said local medical doctors are the most trusted messengers in the Latino community. Information from their church leaders and children also can play a role in increasing vaccination efforts among hesitant Latinos, according to the poll.
Most respondents (83.7%) said that when their children or grandchildren share important health information they learned at school, they listen. Wallin believes this information presents a unique opportunity for trusted messengers to get involved.
“Just discussing something in a vacuum without addressing concerns that people have, whether they’re based in truth or they’re based just simply in conversation … there’s still conversations there,” he said. “They mean something.”
Andrea Briseño is the equity reporter for The Bee's community-funded Economic Mobility Lab, which features a team of reporters covering economic development, education and equity.
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