More than one in five California adults said they never or only sometimes followed state COVID-19 health guidelines, according to new data from UCLA’s 2021 California Health Interview Survey.
With state vaccination rates slowing and guidelines on mask wearing changing, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study sheds light on residents’ views on getting the vaccine and following suggested safety protocols.
The 2021 CHIS COVID-19 Preliminary Estimates Dashboard, which uses survey data collected during March and April, introduces questions on risk reduction behaviors such as frequency of wearing face coverings, hand- sanitizing or washing, and whether respondents practiced physical distancing or gathered with people who weren’t in their household.
The survey also continued to ask respondents about whether they would get the vaccine and if they had already received at least one dose. Personal impact questions, such as whether respondents lost their job or had difficulties paying for rent or mortgage and basic needs, were also asked.
“Policymakers, health experts, community organizations, researchers, and others look to the California Health Interview Survey for credible and comprehensive data on the health of Californians,” said Ninez Ponce, director of the UCLA center and CHIS principal investigator. “Following various safety precautions is a vital part of the state’s recovery from COVID-19, so the information provided can help groups who are trying to increase vaccination rates, give financial assistance, or simply access resources on staying healthy as we make our way out of this pandemic.”
Key findings include:
— More than half of California adults said they did gather with people outside of their household when the state guidelines were still in effect;
— More than one in five California adults said they never or only sometimes followed state guidelines;
— Adults who would not get the vaccine were less likely to follow state and local guidelines;
— More than one in 10 — 12% — adults stated that they would not get the vaccine;
— The poorest adults were more likely to report that they would not get the vaccine, compared to adults with the highest income levels;
— Latinos were more likely than whites to ever have received a positive test result for COVID-19;
— Adults with the lowest incomes were more than twice as likely as those with highest incomes to ever test positive for COVID-19;
— Uninsured adults were more likely to have a positive test result; and
— Individuals with health insurance were twice as likely to contact a health professional when they thought they had COVID-19.
“Whether looking at different racial and ethnic groups, or other demographic factors such as income, education, or geographic region, we continue to see disparities among COVID-19 impacts especially after the winter 2020-21 case surge,” said Todd Hughes, CHIS director. “By staying on the pulse of the latest numbers, we can inform policymakers, program officials, community organizations and advocates on actionable data to bridge the gap in needs and services for every group to fulfill our mission to equity.”
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Loampounder says
— More than half of California adults said they did gather with people outside of their household when the state guidelines were still in effect;
— More than one in five California adults said they never or only sometimes followed state guidelines;
Ok, state guidelines were that adults should not gather with people outside of their household, so these two stats do not line up. I suspect the second one was too vague for people to consider correctly.
“— The poorest adults were more likely to report that they would not get the vaccine, compared to adults with the highest income levels”
This seems obvious but we don’t consider the impact. Poverty, not race or political standing, is a larger driver for not getting the COVID vaccine. Poor in cities do not get it (usually minorities); poor in rural areas don’t get it (usually white, some characterize as Trumpians). The only common factor between minorities in urban areas and whites in rural areas is poverty. Some making this a partisan issue.
Crossroads says
Thank God for all these studies conducted. But what about applying some of those studies to were people need the most help? Like all the Legalizing Marijuana! Why not show results of how much of it effects your brain cells! What about Alcohol how it destroys families and relationships…. Why don’t you guy’s change those policies! You guy’s don’t give a crap about the public or Any COVID agenda Crap ….
[removed] says
Prohibition was repealed in 1933 because it had been conclusively proven that it just didn’t work. To be blathering about the “war on drugs” fifty years later was the height of insanity…doing the same thing again and expecting a different result. Now here we are nearly fifty MORE years later and you are calling for yet another flight into the face of cold reality?
On the topic at hand…clearly they didn’t study the AV. Like any other pocket of conservative Republican majority we probably run closer to one in two than one in five. But hopefully we have reached a point in the pandemic where the vast vast majority of the remaining fatalities will be among the vaccine refusing, maskless deniers of reality…and really won’t the rest of us be better off for it?