This report compiles findings from a survey conducted by the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy in September 2022. We look at COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among unvaccinated individuals, general willingness to take the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster, as well as how different demographics view COVID-19 vaccinations and the pandemic. 1,000 New Yorkers from nine different counties: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester completed this survey, which was open from September 23rd to September 26th. This questionnaire was offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin.
Unvaccinated People and the COVID-19 vaccine
- While roughly three out four (76%) participants have had at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, 13% are currently unvaccinated.
- One out of six (17%) unvaccinated participants are likely/very likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future; another 16% are unsure about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in the future; and two out of three (67%) unvaccinated participants are unlikely/very unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine which has been supported by our previous reports.
- Three out of four (75%) unvaccinated participants reported distrust in the quality of the COVID vaccine as a major reason for not getting vaccinated.
- One out of 10 (10%) participants said a health condition prevented them from receiving a COVID vaccine
General attitudes toward updated 2022 COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters
- One out of five (20%) participants reported they had received the bivalent COVID-19 booster* (the now available Omicron booster released in September 2022)
- 44% were very/somewhat likely to get the updated booster this fall
- 20% were not very or not at all likely to accept the omicron booster
- 16% remained unsure
- Among those who received one dose of the original COVID-19 vaccine, 20% reported they are unlikely/very unlikely to get the bivalent COVID-19 booster.
- Of those who received two doses of the original vaccine, 17% reported they are unlikely/very unlikely to get the new COVID-19 booster.
- Over a quarter (26%) of participants who received only one dose of the original COVID-19 are unsure about getting the updated bivalent booster
- Of those who have had two doses of the original vaccine, 21% said they are unsure about getting the updated bivalent booster
- Among those who are fully vaccinated and have received one booster, only one in fourteen (7%) said they are unlikely to get another booster and one in thirteen (8%) are unsure.
*Please note: The percentage of participants who reported already receiving an Omicron booster seem high considering how few bivalent vaccines have been administered. We suspect that there may be widespread confusion around this updated booster and its availability and have therefore put out increased communication guidance such as these social media assets.
Parents and vaccinating their children
The sample of respondents with children under 5 years old was small (n=185), which increases the margin of error in the following results. Therefore, these findings should be considered preliminary and demonstrate potential trends to be further explored. Similarly, sample sizes for respondents with children 5-11 years old and 12-18 years old were small, (n=212 and n=218 respectively) and the same limitations apply.
- Four out of nine (44%) parents with a child under the age of five are likely to get them vaccinated for COVID-19
- Ten percent (10%) of parents with a child under the age of five have already vaccinated their child against COVID-19
- Three out of seven (43%) parents with a child 5-11 years old are likely to get their child vaccinated
- Over a quarter (26%) of parents with a child between the ages of 5-11 have already vaccinated their child against COVID
- Out of the parents who vaccinated their 5-11 year old, two-thirds (67%) of them have also gotten their child the COVID-19 booster (third dose).
- Among parents of children ages 12-18 years old, one out of six (17%) remain unlikely to have their children vaccinated for COVID-19.
Age Range, Attitudes and Behaviors, and the COVID Pandemic
- At the time, September 2022, 55% of young adults (18-29), 58% of adults (30-64), 61% of seniors (65+) believed COVID-19 is a serious public health issue in New York.
- Eighteen percent (18%) of young adults, 18% of adults and 31% of seniors have already received the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine
- Eighteen percent (18%) of young adults, 23% of adults, and 16% of seniors said they are unlikely to get the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster
This is the same data but more zoomed in.
Experiences with COVID
- 29% of people reported that if exposed to COVID-19, they would not feel very confident about what recommended steps to take next.
- 28% of participants reported the death of a close friend or family member due to COVID-19.
Access to services
- Among those who reported needing access to services, nearly one in three (32%) of respondents reported a need for better access to food assistance, followed closely by 31% of respondents needing better access to housing assistance. This is down from our findings from a survey in June 2022.
- Among those who reported needing access to health services, the highest needs were reported around access to mental health & wellness services (28%), general medical care (25%), and dental care (21%).
*Among those who reported needing better access to health services.
Vaccination by race/ethnicity
- While nearly three-quarters (73%) of white participants received at least one dose of the original COVID-19 booster, racial/ethnic minorities were much less likely to have received the original booster – over two in five (44%) of Black individuals, 46% of Asians and one in four (24%) of Latino/as reported having at least one COVID booster shot.
- Across all racial/ethnic groups, a lack of trust in the quality or safety of the vaccines was the primary reason for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
- 37% of Asian respondents reported that they had already received the updated bivalent Omicron booster shot, while 27% of Black individuals, 22% of Latino/a individuals, and 19% of Caucasians reported the same.
- Among Black individuals who remain unvaccinated, 28% report that they are unlikely to receive the updated bivalent Omicron booster.
- Roughly one in six (16%) Latino/as reported that they were unsure about receiving the updated Omicron booster.
- Participants who identify as multiple/other racial categories are most likely to be unvaccinated, and nearly half (47%) said they would be unwilling to take the updated Omicron booster.
Education level by vaccination attitudes
- Respondents who completed some college were the most likely to believe that COVID-19 is currently not a serious public health issue in New York (34%).
- Of those who needed better access to services, 42% of respondents who attended some college or had a high school degree reported the highest need for access to food services.
- Of those who required services and had less than a high school degree, roughly one in eight (13%) people needed better access to legal services.
- One in five (20%) respondents with less than a high school degree reported currently being unvaccinated for COVID-19.
- Of those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine and had less than a high school degree, 37% said they were likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future. Meanwhile, 84% of unvaccinated people with some college education reported that they were unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future.
- One in three respondents (33%) with less than a high school degree reported an inability to receive a vaccine due to a health condition as their primary reason for not being vaccinated. Across all other education levels, over six in seven unvaccinated people (85%) reported lack of trust in the quality or safety of the vaccines as their primary reason for not receiving vaccinations.
