Correlation of Race and Income with COVID-19 Vaccination Status in Monroe County, New York
by Catherine Alexis
Category: Social Sciences
Abstract – Across the United States, there is a large disparity in vaccination rates for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) as well as for those living in poverty. A statistical analysis tests if these same trends apply in Monroe County, a county composed of Rural, Suburban, and Urban zip codes. It is found that the relationship between race and vaccination rate is direct-as the percent of White individuals increase, so does the vaccination rate of that particular zip code. It is also concluded that there is a correlation between high poverty rates and low vaccination rates. Among the multiple factors that lead to this conclusion, hesitancy and accessibility are focused on in this paper. Hesitancy, a leading cause of the lower vaccination rates for BIPOC is an issue that is produced from institutionalized racism in healthcare. For those in poverty, low vaccination rates are caused by insufficient access. Addressing these sources of low vaccination rates will not only benefit Monroe County but can be applied worldwide.