During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine mandates were controversial, but they still successfully increased vaccination rates. A new study of South Texas residents by researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that vaccinated Asian patients were significantly more likely than other ethnic/racial groups to support COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“Collective Good and Individual Choice: Perceptions on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandatoryness Among COVID-19 Vaccinated Individuals” is published in the journal Vaccine and published online.
Nearly 900 residents living in the study area participated in the survey. Luz Garcini, assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice and interim director of community and public health at the Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research, co-authored the study.
Overall, 59% of participants supported the possibility of mandatory COVID-19 vaccines. However, there were significant demographic differences in support. Asian survey participants were most likely to support mandatory COVID-19 vaccines at 80%, while 50-57% of individuals from other ethnic/racial groups supported it. Latinos were also more supportive of mandatory vaccines than the average of all ethnic/racial groups, coming in at about 66% in support.
“To better understand the responses of specific communities to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to consider the context in which these responses occur,” Garcini said. “For example, Asian American and Latino communities in the U.S. have faced considerable stigma, discrimination, and blame for the spread of the virus. This context makes their support for vaccination mandates more understandable.”
The youngest (16-25 years) and oldest (55 years and above) respondents supported mandatory COVID-19 vaccines at 76% and 74%, respectively. Among other groups, it ranged between 54% and 58%.
Less significant differences were recorded among individuals with different education levels. 66 percent of respondents with a high school education level or less supported the mandate, while 59 percent of individuals with any higher education (including trade school) did so.
Garcini said the study shows the importance of considering demographic differences when assessing support for public health initiatives.
“There are important lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to mobilizing support for public health efforts,” Garcini said. “There are many different factors that influence people's opinions, and these should be considered when building consensus.”
The study is co-authored by UT Health San Antonio researchers Kaivalya Guduru, Kimberly Nguyen, Kathy Le, Vyas Sarbu, Meredith Hosek, Anna Phan, Michelle Garza, Bertha Flores, Armida Flores and Emily Ramirez.
The paper is available online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X24004791?dgcid=coauthor.