90% OF SURVEYED DOMESTIC WORKERS REPORT HAVING RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE COVID-19 VACCINE DOSE
Over 9 months of surveying, the reported vaccination rate increased from 4% to 90%
Domestic Workers COVID-19 Vaccine Access Update · October 2021
Source: La Alianza surveys, NDWA Labs
Released: November 2, 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. 1
La Alianza surveys show how the pandemic has amplified the vulnerability of this workforce, which continues to face high levels of unemployment and underemployment.
Since January 2021, NDWA Labs has regularly surveyed Spanish-speaking domestic workers regarding their access to the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 and their intent to receive the vaccine. The first time we surveyed workers on vaccinations, fewer than 4% of respondents reported being vaccinated. In early October, 90% of respondents reported having at least one dose of the vaccine.
This update marks 9 months of reporting on the initial round of COVID-19 vaccinations. So far, through our COVID-19 vaccine surveys, we learned about vaccination rates, intent, and barriers to access for domestic workers as the vaccination rollout progressed. We also shared Spanish language resources with workers, such as the CDC vaccine finder and original news articles addressing issues of particular concern to domestic workers regarding vaccinations. As of mid-October, 90% of survey respondents report having received the COVID-19 vaccine, and we have also identified the main barriers to access for unvaccinated domestic workers, including a lack of paid time off to get the vaccine and/or recover from side effects and lack of childcare.
Vaccination Rate and Intent for U.S. Domestic Workers
We estimate that, as of October 11, 90% of surveyed domestic workers have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This rate is higher compared to the U.S. population of 18+ years of age, which was 80% as of October 26, according to the CDC. 2
84% of respondents are fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated domestic workers reported having either two doses of Moderna or Pfizer OR a single dose of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine.
More than 7 in 10 respondents (73%) with children ages 12-18 said their kids had been vaccinated. 24% of respondents said their children had not been vaccinated yet, and 3% said their children would NOT get vaccinated.
Most surveyed domestic workers who remain unvaccinated intend to get the vaccine. 63% of respondents said they would definitely (22%)/ probably (41%) get the COVID-19 vaccine if it were available to them.
About the surveys
La Alianza surveys Spanish-speaking domestic workers each week, via a Messenger chatbot, and reports regularly on our findings. The total number of respondents who fully completed the most recent vaccine survey in mid-October was 1,085. At the end of each survey, La Alianza provides respondents each week with relevant news articles and resources in Spanish. To learn more about La Alianza’s economic surveying of Spanish-speaking domestic workers, see our report.
La Alianza is a product of NDWA Labs, the innovation partner 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.
Notes
Economic Policy Institute (2019), Domestic Workers Chartbook
CDC COVID Data Tracker, COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States. (data updated as of October 26 2021 6:00 am ET) https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations
*Last updated on January 13, 2022