Two New KFF Reports Take a Closer Look at the COVID-19 Pandemic and the LGBT Community, From the Impact on Mental Health to Vaccination Status

Two new KFF reports provide new and updated data on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring data showing the impact on mental health and COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor data on vaccine uptake within the community. The two reports add important context to the limited but growing body of evidence on the community’s pandemic experiences.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, LGBT people reported stress and worry negatively impacted their mental health, more often and more severely than non-LGBT people. As of July, six in ten LGBT people reported that the pandemic negatively impacted their mental health, with 31% saying it had a major impact, compared to 17% of non-LGBT people. One in four (25%) LGBT people report seeking mental health care during the pandemic compared to one in ten non-LGBT people. While LGBT people were more likely to seek out mental health services during the pandemic, almost two in ten faced affordability barriers. For more information, see the full report The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBT People’s Mental Health.

Eight in ten LGBT adults say they have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to two-thirds of non-LGBT adults (82% vs 66%), according to the latest Vaccine Monitor. LGBT adults are also more likely to support vaccine mandates compared to non-LGBT adults (65% vs 50%) and believe the seriousness of the virus is underestimated (31% vs 18%) by the media. This may reflect the fact that larger shares of LGBT adults identify as Democrats, a group that has shown to be more receptive to the COVID-19 vaccine and mandates. For more information, see the full report Views of COVID-19 Vaccine Among LGBT Adults.

Designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF, the KFF Vaccine Monitor survey was conducted from July 15-27 among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,517 adults, including oversamples of adults who are Black (300) or Hispanic (322). This includes 95 adults who identify as LGBT, 1,403 who are not LGBT, and 19 respondents who said they didn’t know or refused to answer.  Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (176) and cell phone (1,341). The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample, plus or minus 13 percentage points for LGBT adults and plus or minus 3 percentage points for the non-LGBT adults. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.

The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, this project tracks the dynamic nature of public opinion as vaccine development and distribution unfold, including vaccine confidence and acceptance, information needs, trusted messengers and messages, as well as the public’s experiences with vaccination.