Overwhelming majority of LGBT+ adults have been vaccinated against COVID in the US
A nurse administers a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on 11 August 2021 in Long Beach, California. (Getty/Patrick T. Fallon/AFP)
A majority of LGBT+ adults in the USA have received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a first-of-its-kind survey.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the civil rights organisation, released a report Thursday (12 August) stating that 92 per cent of LGBT+ adults surveyed in the US have received at least one jab for COVID.
The data was collected from responses to the Community Marketing & Insight’s (CMI) 15th annual LGBTQ Community Survey, which collected responses from 15,042 LGBT+ adults living in the US. This survey reflected responses made by queer adults between May and June.
Jay Brown, senior vice president of programs, research and training at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, said in a statement that it was encouraging to see “evidence that suggests such a strong majority of the LGBTQ+ community” had gotten vaccinated.
“The science is clear: vaccines are our way forward and out of this pandemic,” Brown said. “The Human Rights Campaign Foundation will continue working with our partners to ensure that no one in our community is left behind.”
Senior LGBT+ respondents were slightly more likely to have gotten vaccinated with 94 per cent of over 55s reported receiving at least their first shot. At least 92 per cent of LGBT+ adults aged between 35 and 54 had been vaccinated, compared to 91 per cent of queer adults between the ages of 18 and 34.
Based on sexuality and gender identity, cisgender gay and bi+ men reported the highest vaccination rates with 93 per cent reporting getting their shots. This compared to 92 per cent of cis lesbian and bi+ women and 92 per cent of trans and non-binary respondents.
When it came to the race or ethnicity of LGBT+ adults that responded, 96 per cent of Asian or Pacific Islander individuals received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 94 per cent of white adults.
There was a slight reduction in vaccination rates for the Latino, Latina, Latinx or Hispanic LGBT+ community with 90 per cent of respondents saying they had gotten a jab. At least 85 per cent of Black LGBT+ adults who responded to the survey had gotten their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Rockefeller Foundation provided funding to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to gather insight from CMI’s data. Otis Rolley, senior vice president of equity and economic opportunity at the Rockefeller Foundation, said increasing vaccination rates among communities of colour is a “major focus for us”.
Rolley added that working with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation “gives us the opportunity to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ communities of colour”.
The rate of adoption within the LGBT+ community is well above the rate for the general adult population
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 72 per cent of all US adults had received at least one dose as of Sunday (15 August). The CDC found over two in five (61.7 per cent) of adults in the US are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
The CMI survey also found that COVID-19 has negatively impacted the LGBT+ community. Over half (59 per cent) of queer adults said the pandemic has made them feel more socially isolated, and a similar number (50 per cent) reported that it had negatively affected their mental health.
A third (36 per cent) of the over 15,000 respondents said a close friend or family member had become very sick from COVID-19. Sadly, one in five (21 per cent) reported that a loved one had died from COVID-19.
