A new INNOVATIVE poll, in partnership with the African Canadian Civic Engagement Council (ACCEC) and Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), finds that vaccine hesitancy is still a very big issue — particularly in Canada’s Black community.
Unvaccinated Black Canadians are the most hesitant group to get vaccinated. In addition, Black communities are reporting significantly lower vaccination rates compared to other groups.
Key findings from the report show:
- At the time of this survey, a 20-point gap existed among those who received at least one vaccine between White Canadians (65%) and Black Canadians (45%).
- Black Canadians are the most hesitant (60%) group. This compares to 55% of unvaccinated White Canadians and 44% of non-Black visible minorities.
- While on the surface the numbers between Black and White Canadians don’t seem dramatically different, this translates to 33% of the entire adult Black population showing some form of vaccine hesitancy, comparatively higher than Canada’s non-Black Visible Minority (25%) and White (19%) populations. This is due to the
- Only 40% of unvaccinated Black Canadians say they will definitely get a COVID-19 shot, compared to 45% of unvaccinated White Canadians and 56% of unvaccinated non-Black Visible Minorities.
- More than half (51%) of younger (18-34yrs) unvaccinated Black Canadians show some signs of hesitancy, which is particularly concerning as only 26% had received at least one shot at the time of this survey.
- In-depth analysis suggests complex and deep-rooted issues related to trust with frontline healthcare providers and vaccine manufacturers, coupled with concerns of vaccine safety are driving this hesitancy within the Black community.
Click here to review the full report.
