Table 3.

Findings on vaccine decision-making by gender, race, and their intersection.

Gender
•The women in our sample were more likely to see the vaccine as beneficial to their community and families than the men. •Women were more likely to note physical barriers to accessing the vaccine (i.e., being wheelchair-bound and dependent on others, being unable to stand in line).
Race
•More Black participants were classified as HC than White participants. •The Black HC noted more personal reasons for hesitancy (i.e., fear of side effects, interaction with their comorbidities), whereas the White HC presented external reasons for hesitancy (i.e., concerns about mRNA technology, lack of need for the vaccine) •For the White HC in our sample, perceived risks of the vaccine were entirely associated with the vaccine product, while for some of the Black HC, risks were associated with the systems that developed and provided the vaccines. •For all the Black HC in our sample, risks associated with the vaccine remained prominent, despite their ultimate decision to get the vaccine. •More Black participants consulted their doctors about receiving the vaccine, while White participants were more likely to make the decision without their doctor’s input. •Several White participants reported that their healthcare system had reached out to them with information about the vaccine and opportunities to receive it, while none of the Black participants reported this.
Intersection of gender and race
•Black women in our sample were particularly concerned about unknown long-term consequences associated with the vaccine. •The White men who participated were more readily willing to assume the risk of a rare adverse event associated with the vaccine. •Faith was important in fostering trust in the vaccine for several of the Black women. •Several white women had confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine because of their positive experience with the polio vaccines.

Abbreviations: EC: eager complier; HC: hesitant complier.