SURVEYED LATINA DOMESTIC WORKERS REPORT DIFFICULTY ACCESSING THE COVID-19 VACCINE
9 out of 10 intend to receive the vaccine; less than 12% of those who tried to get an appointment were successful
Domestic Workers COVID-19 Vaccine Access Report · March 2021
Source: La Alianza surveys, NDWA Labs
Released: March 18, 2021
Domestic workers are the nannies, homecare workers and house cleaners whose work is essential to our economy, and yet they are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of workers. Even before COVID-19, domestic workers earned less than the average US worker, and were three times as likely to be living in poverty. La Alianza survey data of Spanish-speaking domestic workers shows how the pandemic has amplified the vulnerability of this workforce, who continue to face low wages, and high levels of unemployment and underemployment.
Since January 2021 NDWA Labs has regularly surveyed domestic workers regarding their access to the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 and their intent to receive the vaccine. We want to know if domestic workers who are eligible and willing to get vaccinated have access, and what barriers they face. This report shares findings from surveys in mid-February and early March.
Vaccine Access for U.S. Domestic Workers
We estimate that, as of March 7, 10% of surveyed domestic workers have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This is far lower than the national average of 19% as reported by the CDC as of March 11.
Surveyed domestic workers intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 9 in 10 surveyed workers said they would probably/definitely get the vaccine if it were available to them today.
This is higher than vaccination intent for the overall US population (69%), and for Latinx adults (70%) according to Pew Research.
Domestic workers need information about the vaccine rollout and their eligibility. The majority of surveyed domestic workers do NOT know if they are currently eligible, and more than 90% do NOT know when they will be eligible.
Domestic workers are struggling to get vaccine appointments.
Less than 12 percent of surveyed domestic workers who have tried to secure an appointment have been successful.
The majority (62%) of surveyed domestic workers who have tried to get an appointment found the process somewhat/very difficult.
About the surveys
La Alianza surveys Spanish-speaking domestic workers each week, via a Messenger chatbot. The numbers presented in this report pool data from two weekly surveys in mid-February and early-March. The total number of respondents who fully completed these two vaccine surveys was 2,754. At the end of each survey, La Alianza provides respondents each week with relevant news articles and resources in Spanish. To learn more about the La Alianza survey of Spanish-speaking domestic workers see our recent report.
La Alianza is a project of NDWA Labs, the innovation arm of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. NDWA Labs experiments with the ways technology can organize domestic workers and transform domestic work jobs into good jobs by bringing respect, living wages, and benefits to an undervalued and vulnerable part of the economy.
For questions, please contact us here.