The Importance of Community-Specific Survey Data in Understanding Behavioral and Social Drivers of COVID-19 Vaccination: Lessons Learned from Urban Neighborhoods in Four United States Cities

This descriptive study examined patterns and trends in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination rates and drivers among people living, working, or socializing in urban neighborhoods of predominantly Black and Hispanic communities and compared them with the results of two national surveys. Data for these communities came from a routine survey conducted as part of the Equity-first Vaccination Initiative (EVI) in urban neighborhoods within four United States (U.S.) cities during four phases of the pandemic between July 2021 and April 2022. Our sample included 5,970 responses, which were weighted to account for design effects and compositional differences among surveyed people across the four periods. We wanted to compare the results from the EVI survey to nationally representative surveys, therefore, we did not demographically weight the sample to look like the national surveys. As a result, the EVI survey included larger proportions of people identifying with non-white racial and ethnic groups than those groups’ proportions of the national population per the last U.S. Census (African American or Black: 49.8% vs. 13.7%, Hispanic or Latino/Latinx 36.5% vs. 18.9%, respectively). More EVI respondents reported concern about vaccines and fewer reported trust in COVID-19 information key messengers than national averages. The EVI survey found variation in the proportions as well as the magnitude and directionality of increases or decreases in beliefs about vaccination safety and effectiveness, the influence of religious beliefs, and intentions to get vaccinated. These differences highlight the granular insight that community-specific data can help better tailor interventions to communities disproportionately impacted by disease.