COVID-19 vaccination coverage by ethnicity: Insight from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS): June 2021 to February 2022
On this page
- Overview
- Highlights
- Survey collection methodology
- Vaccination coverage among Indigenous peoples and visible minorities
- Vaccination coverage estimates comparison
- Contact us
Overview
The purpose of this analysis is to:
- compare COVID-19 vaccination coverage between Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and the rest of the population
- determine if there are inequalities in vaccination coverage
- supplement information already collected by the Canadian COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Surveillance System: COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
- inform decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccine promotion
For this analysis, we used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).
Highlights
Between June 2021 and February 2022:
- a majority of people 12 years and older living in the 10 provinces had received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (92%)
- the proportion of people having received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was lower among people who self-identify as off-reserve First Nation (81%), Black (82%) or Arab (85%), but higher among South Asian people (96%) than among individuals who are neither Indigenous nor part of visible minorities (93%)
Survey collection methodology
The CCHS is an ongoing annual cross-sectional survey conducted by Statistics Canada that collects health-related information for the Canadian population at the sub-provincial level of geography using the computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system. The primary use of the CCHS data is for health surveillance and population health research. Questions on COVID-19 vaccination were added to the CCHS in 2020. Please refer to Statistics Canada: CCHS for more information on the CCHS and the methodology of the survey, including the questionnaire.
The 2021 CCHS target population includes people 12 years of age and over living in the 10 provinces and 3 territorial capitals except:
- full-time members of the Canadian Forces
- people living in institutions
- children 12 to 17 years of age that are living in foster care
- people living on-reserve and other Indigenous settlements in the provinces
- persons living in the Quebec health regions of Région du Nunavik and Région des Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James
The CCHS collects data on ethnicity by asking respondents to self-identify if they belong to one or more racial or cultural groups. This is the terminology employed by Statistics Canada in the CCHS. Please refer to Statistics Canada: Visible minority of person for more information.
Data selected for this analysis
The present analysis on COVID-19 vaccination coverage among Indigenous peoples and visible minorities used data collected from June 1, 2021, to February 7, 2022, across the 10 provinces. The number of respondents from the territories was too small to allow for a good representation of these populations.
Between June and August 2021, 10,093 people participated in the CCHS. The September to mid-November 2021 and the mid-November 2021 to February 2022 collection periods had 12,296 and 12,375 respondents, respectively. The response rate varied between 21.9% and 25.8% over the 3 collection periods (Table 1). To ensure sufficient sample sizes by ethnicity, all 3 collection periods were combined for a total sample size of 34,764.
| Collection period | Start date | End date | Number of respondents | Response rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June to August | June 1, 2021 | September 5, 2021 | 10,093 | 22.8 |
| September to mid-November | September 1, 2021 | November 14, 2021 | 12,296 | 21.9 |
| Mid-November to February | November 15, 2021 | February 7, 2022 | 12,375 | 25.8 |
| All 3 periods combined | June 1, 2021 | February 7, 2022 | 34,764 | Average: 23.4 |
Vaccination coverage among Indigenous peoples and visible minorities
Results by collection period
The proportion of people 12 years and older having received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine increased from 87% between June and August 2021 to 96% between November 2021 and February 2022.
Note: In the 10 provinces, all youth 12 to 17 years old became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination throughout the month of May, precisely between May 10 and May 27, 2021.
Figure 1: Text description
| Received at least 1 dose (%) | June to August 2021 |
September to mid-November 2021 |
Mid-November 2021 to February 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 years and older | 87 | 94 | 96 |
Based on the CCHS results, the proportion of people 12 years and older having received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was 92% across collection periods. It increased from 87% between June and August 2021 to 96% between November 2021 and February 2022. Because of the small number of respondents, comparisons between Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and people who are neither Indigenous nor part of visible minorities is possible only when combining the three collection periods.
Results for all 3 collection periods combined
- Vaccination coverage for at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was lower among people who self-identify as off-reserve First Nation (81%), Black (82%), or Arab (85%) than among those who are neither part of visible minorities nor Indigenous (93%).
- Vaccination coverage for at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was higher among South Asian people (96%) than among those who are neither part of visible minorities nor Indigenous (93%).
- Vaccination coverage for Inuit and other visible minority groups were not reported due to small sample sizes.
Reference group: Neither part of visible minorities nor Indigenous
Figure 2: Text description
| Population | % having received at least 1 dose |
|---|---|
| First Nations (off-reserve) | 81 |
| Métis | 87 |
| Black | 82 |
| Arab | 85 |
| Chinese | 95 |
| South Asian | 96 |
| Reference (neither part of visible minorities nor Indigenous) | 93 |
Vaccination coverage estimates comparison
Although the CCHS provides insights into vaccination coverage in Canada by sociodemographic factors, the Canadian COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Surveillance System (CCVCSS) provides the most reliable vaccination coverage estimates because they are based on the entire population rather than a sample.
Comparing COVID-19 vaccination coverage from the CCVCSS to those estimated over the 3 CCHS collection periods:
- the CCHS overestimates COVID-19 vaccination coverage by between 6% and 8%, which may be explained by differences between the CCHS respondents and the general population
- according to the data from the CCVCSS, as of July 17, 2021 (at the midpoint of the June to August collection period), 79% of the population 12 years and older had received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; 87% as of October 9, 2021, at the midpoint of the September to mid-November collection period; and 90% as of January 1, 2022, at the midpoint of mid-November to February collection period
- despite the overestimation, a similar upward trend in vaccination coverage over time is observed in both data sources
| CCHS collection period |
Data from the CCHS |
CCVCSS data as of |
Data from the CCVCSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 1, 2021, to September 5, 2021 | 87% | July 17, 2021 | 79% |
| September 1, 2021, to November 14, 2021 | 94% | October 9, 2021 | 87% |
| November 15, 2021, to February 7, 2022 | 96% | January 1, 2022 | 90% |
Contact us
For more information about these findings, please contact us at: coverage-couvertures@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines
- Vaccines for COVID-19
- COVID-19 in Canada
- Vaccines for COVID-19: Canada's vaccine supply and donation strategy
- COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
- COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Survey (CVCS)
- COVID-19 vaccine uptake and intent: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) insight
- Reported side effects following COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
- The facts about COVID-19 vaccines (printable poster)
- Publications: Vaccines and immunization
For health professionals
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