Most LGBTQ adults in America have gotten or will get vaccinated against COVID-19

A study commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) has found that approximately 92 percent of LGBTQ adults has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or received at least one dose of a currently available vaccine. That equates to nine out of every ten LGBTQ adults.

In comparison to non-LGBTQ communities, the LGBTQ community is seeing much higher vaccination rates. The CDC determined that 70 percent of the general adult population in the United States had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine on August 2. This new study reflects responses made by LGBTQ adults made between May and June.

Related: Here’s why COVID-19 has a vaccine after 1 year and HIV doesn’t after nearly 40 years

The groundbreaking collection of data was determined from responses to the Community Marketing & Insight’s (CMI) 15th annual LGBTQ Community Survey. More than 15,000 responses were recorded from LGBTQ adults.

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CMI’s Senior Director of Research, David Paisley, attested the findings to the effects the pandemic, and other social issues, have had on LGBTQ people.

“There are many reasons why LGBTQ+ vaccination rates may be higher than the general population, including higher percentages of the LGBTQ+ community being liberal, living in blue states, and living in urban areas,” Paisley said.

“While participants had strong education levels, those with no more than a high school diploma still had an 87 percent vaccination rate. We also see that COVID isolation significantly impacted LGBTQ+ people, which may have motivated quick vaccination to reenter the community.”

One other key factor may be that many LGBTQ people have seen those close to them affected by the spread of COVID-19. 36 percent of LGBTQ adults — close to four of every ten — have had a close friend or family member personally become sick from COVID-19.

Further, 21 percent of LGBTQ adults — or two of every ten — have lost a friend or family member to COVID-19.

That’s exponentially higher for most LGBTQ people of color, with 30 percent of Latinx LGBTQ people, 28 percent for Black LGBTQ people, 25 percent for Native American/Alaskan and Middle Eastern/North African LGBTQ people, and 18 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ people have lost someone close to them. That’s slightly higher in comparison to the 17 percent that white LGBTQ adults reported.

Based on race or ethnicity of the LGBTQ adults that responded, 85 percent of Black respondents, 85 percent of Native American/Alaskan and Middle Eastern/North African respondents, 90 percent of Latinx respondents, and 96 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander respondents have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Based on gender, cisgender queer men had the slight edge over other respondents. 93 percent of cis men have had at least one vaccine dose, compared to 92 percent of cis women and 92 percent of trans and gender non-conforming people.

Based on age range, senior LGBTQ respondents are slightly more likely to be vaccinated than younger LGBTQ people with 94 percent of respondents aged 55 older having received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 92 percent of respondents between the ages of 35 and 54, and 91 percent of respondents between the age of 18 to 34.

Another factor is that a majority of the LGBTQ respondents reported that they “feel Pride” in being a part of the community and that they “regularly read or view the LGBTQ media.” A majority also “strongly agreed” or “somewhat agreed” that they can be themselves at work or school and that they have support in the LGBTQ community, compared to the number of participants who “disagreed” with that assessment for themselves.

“We are encouraged to see evidence that suggests such a strong majority of the LGBTQ+ community who responded to the survey have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The science is clear: vaccines are our way forward and out of this pandemic,” Jay Brown, the HRCF senior vice president of program, research, and training, said in a statement. “The Human Rights Campaign Foundation will continue working with our partners to ensure that no one in our community is left behind.”

The Rockefeller Foundation financially supported HRCF in gaining insight from CMI’s data.

The full CMI community survey can be viewed here.

LGBTQ Nation was a community survey research partner alongside more than 100 other LGBTQ publications and organizations that informed LGBTQ people about the survey and referred them to participate in it. CMI partnered with Rivendell to form the study as well as Fugues Media and the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) as translation partners.