Giving Compass' Take:

• Human Rights Campaign Foundation and PSB Insights unpack the results of a survey showing LGBTQ perspectives on the COVID-19 vaccines the economic impacts of the pandemic. 

• What role can you play in encouraging COVID-19 vaccination among hesitant groups? 

• Read about building public trust about COVID-19 vaccine reliability.

As the vaccine rollout in the United States ramps up, it has become clear that there are disparities in comfort with the vaccines and a need for community outreach and education. New data analysis from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and PSB Insights (PSB) looks at the LGBTQ community’s sentiments about the vaccine and more recent data on the economic toll that the pandemic is taking on the LGBTQ community.

Key Takeaways:

Black LGBTQ Adults Are Less Likely to Want to Get Vaccinated: Containing the coronavirus has been a key social issue for the LGBTQ community, which may explain why an overall 42% of LGBTQ adults say they are very likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine compared to 39% of the general adult population. However, Black LGBTQ adults are less likely to say they will get vaccinated.

Transgender People Overall and Transgender People of Color More Likely to Get Vaccinated: Transgender adults — including transgender people of color — are more likely than the general population, the LGBTQ population overall and LGBTQ people of color to say they will get vaccinated. While transgender adults of color are less likely than transgender adults broadly to say they will get vaccinated, the number is still significantly higher than the adult sample population.

Bisexual Women Are Less Likely to Want to Get Vaccinated: While bisexual adults are almost as likely as the general adult population (39%) and LGBTQ adults to say they are very likely to get vaccinated, bisexual women are less likely.

Older LGBTQ Adults are More Likely to Want to Get Vaccinated: LGBTQ adults over the age of sixty-five are far more likely than LGBTQ adults under the age of sixty-five to say they want to get vaccinated.

Reasons Why LGBTQ Adults Have Concerns About the Vaccine: While many LGBTQ adults say they are very likely to get vaccinated, some in the community cite a wide array of concerns they have about accessing and receiving the vaccine. Despite the vaccines being available for free, LGBTQ adults have concerns about the cost of the vaccine, especially LGBTQ adults of color, bisexual adults and transgender adults. Prior to the pandemic, LGBTQ people experienced higher levels of poverty than nonLGBTQ people, with LGBTQ adults of color, bisexual adults and transgender adults facing the highest rates of poverty. This economic insecurity has compounded for LGBTQ people during the pandemic. Moreover, one in five LGBTQ adults prior to the pandemic did not visit a doctor when necessary because they could not afford it.

LGBTQ Adults Face Greater Unemployment and Continue to Endure Disproportionate Economic Impacts: LGBTQ adults and LGBTQ adults of color are facing the highest rates of unemployment since HRC and PSB began tracking community unemployment at the start of the pandemic