Dominicans in the U.S. are diligent when it comes to complying with COVID-19 public health recommendations, according to a new CCNY study.
A new study from The City College of New York’s CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and the CUNY School of Medicine at CCNY indicates U.S.-born Dominicans and Dominican immigrants in the U.S. are highly likely to comply with public health recommendations related to the pandemic.
In addition to understanding how COVID-19 has affected the Dominican community in the U.S., their findings highlight the need to study the effects of the pandemic on the different ethnic groups within the U.S.
Key Findings from “Understanding COVID-19 among People of Dominican Descent in the U.S.: A Comparison of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut”
Rate of illness with COVID-19:
- 24% of respondents reported having contracted COVID-19 themselves
- 90% reported that they isolated at home away from other household members
- 11% said they had been hospitalized
Vaccination rates:
- 77% of those interviewed reported they had been vaccinated at the time of the survey
- Only 4.2% of respondents reported that they did not plan to vaccinate
Mask wearing:
- 79% of Dominicans reported that they “always or almost always” wore a mask in indoor public settings at the height of the first wave of the pandemic
- The percentage of mask use was high especially in states where COVID-19 was more prevalent, such as New Jersey (86%) and New York (82%). In Florida, three-quarters of Dominicans wore masks
Mental health:
- 52% of Dominicans interviewed said they felt nervous, anxious or on edge the week before the interview.
- Between 14.38% and 42.05% of respondents in each state reported being unable to stop worrying almost every day the week before the interview.
- Rhode Island had the largest proportion of respondents who said that they were worrying almost every day the week prior to the survey (42.05%).
The study conducted by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY-DSI) and CUNY School of Medicine, both at the City College of New York, is the first research study to examine the experience of people of Dominican origins residing in the U.S. amidst the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.
Since the start of the pandemic, researchers have highlighted racial and ethnic disparities and injustices related to the pandemic. Research has demonstrated that people of color experience higher COVID-19 related fatality and death rates than their white counterparts. Additionally, racial/ethnic patterns are reported in studies on COVID-19 incidence, hospitalization, perceptions of risk of contagion, and knowledge about the virus. Despite the substantial data on these race/ethnicity patterns, there has been little research into how COVID-19 has affected the Latino/a/x population in a disaggregated way, or by Latino/a/x subgroups. The Latino/a/x population is not homogeneous and this matters because it informs behavior in society. Therefore, these realities must be addressed in COVID-19 research and public health campaigns.
For this study, surveys were administered online and via telephone by a specialized company across seven states—New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut—between October 5, 2021 and November 11, 2021. These seven states were selected because the majority (85%) of Dominicans living in the U.S. reside in these states. The purpose of the study was to gather knowledge on COVID-19 as it relates to Dominican people in terms of infection incidences, ease of getting a vaccine, motivation behind getting a vaccine, vaccination preference, mask wearing, stress during the pandemic, and how Dominicans find information on COVID-19.
“At a moment when the scientific community is determining how frequently people will need to vaccinate in the future to undermine COVID-19’s harmful effects, this study is integral to understanding the likelihood of compliance among a sizable minoritized group. It provides insight into how Dominicans, one of the largest and fastest growing Latino subgroups in the U.S., have responded to the directives in place to deal with the virus.” said Dr. Ramona Hernández, Director of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and Professor of Sociology at the City College of New York.
The study found that 24% of respondents reported having contracted COVID-19 themselves. 20% reported that someone in their household contracted COVID-19, 29% reported relatives in another household contracted the disease, and 28% reported that they knew someone else who contracted the virus. The majority, 90%, who did become infected were able to self-isolate from other household members and 11% reported being hospitalized.
An astonishingly high 77% of participants had been vaccinated and that number rises further to 89% when those who expressed intentions to vaccinate are considered.
Motivations behind being vaccinated were primarily to protect themselves from COVID-19 with 75% indicating so. Another 21% reported “social responsibility” as their primary reason for vaccinating. In terms of time spent to get to a vaccination site, 73% of Dominicans commuted less than 30 minutes, with 22% reporting a commute between 30 minutes to an hour.
At the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, seventy-nine percent of Dominicans reported wearing a mask in indoor public spaces with only three percent claiming they never wore a mask. In regard to the current use of face masks, findings indicated that 84% of respondents born in the Dominican Republic reported “always or almost always” wearing a face mask compared to 62% of their U.S.-born counterparts, suggesting a substantial nativity difference. A week before the interview 52% of Dominicans reported feeling nervous, anxious or on edge. However, this data is limited, as it is unclear if these findings are unique to the Dominican population in these states, or whether Dominicans felt this way before the pandemic.
“Despite their substantial heterogeneity, Latina/o/x populations living in the U.S. are frequently treated as a single group in health research. The needs of these populations cannot be addressed if adequate data does not exist to inform policy decisions. This study gives an important voice to people of Dominican descent in the U.S. regarding COVID-19,” said Dr. Nancy Sohler, Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the CUNY School of Medicine.
The researchers found that to gather information on COVID-19, people interviewed were most likely to consult cable, local or network news outlets (38%) or social media networks (30%). Older Dominicans (50 years and older) were more likely to rely on cable, local or network news outlets as sources for COVID-19 and conversely younger Dominicans (18 to 29 years old) were likely to rely on social media for COVID-19 related news instead.
This study illustrates that U.S.-born Dominicans and Dominican immigrants are both likely to follow public health recommendations related to the pandemic. Additionally, the study found that in comparison to U.S.-born Dominicans, Dominican immigrants were more likely to follow the protocols in place to mitigate the spread of the virus. This raises the need to further study other variables to help illuminate not only the group’s behavior but also structural differentiations within the group. Public health campaigns, when addressing this group over future health crises, should also consider the evidence that Dominicans are motivated to follow health guidelines out of personal and social concern, not because of coercion. Similarly, policymakers should consider the generational differences within news consumption for Dominicans and should tailor their communication strategies in accordance with each age groups’ preference.
With these racial and ethnic findings in mind, this study calls for more scientific research on the effects of public health crises on different groups of ethnic/racial diaspora.
- The survey was conducted between Oct. 5, 2021 and Nov. 11, 2021.
- Researchers interviewed 794 Dominican adults (over the age of 18 years) across New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
- Participants had to be born in the Dominican Republic or identify as being of Dominican ancestry.
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Profs. Hernández and Sohler are available for comment:
Contact Poppy Hatrick:
poppy@sarahrusso.com
| (858) 736-5991
Dr. Ramona Hernández:
rhernandez@ccny.cuny.edu
Dr. Nancy Sohler:
nsohler@med.cuny.edu
Dr. Ramona Hernández
Dr. Hernández is the Director of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and Professor of Sociology at the City College of New York. She is also in the Faculty in the Doctoral Program of the Sociology Department and in the M.A. Program in International Studies at the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. She holds a Ph.D. and a M.Phil. in Sociology from The CUNY Graduate Center and a M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from New York University. Dr. Hernandez publishes in the fields of migration and Latino/a/x and Dominican Studies.
Dr. Pedro José Ortega
Dr. Ortega is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute. He is in the faculty at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and the Global Institute of Higher Studies in Social Sciences in the Dominican Republic. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Université Paris VIII, a M.A. in Philosophy from Universidad del País Vasco, and a M.A. in Scientific Method and Epistemology from UASD. His published work spans across the fields of Political Philosophy, Social Sciences, and History.
Dr. Nancy Sohler
Dr. Sohler is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the CUNY School of Medicine. She holds a Ph.D. and a Master in Public Health from Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Sohler publishes in the field of Public Health and her research focuses on exploring strategies to address disparities in access to health care, utilization of health care services, and health outcomes. She partners with clinical teams and community-based organizations who care for people who use drugs and live with or at risk for HIV infection.
Sarah Marrara
Sarah Marrara is a senior researcher with the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute. She also works as a database consultant with various nonprofit and educational institutions. She holds an M.S. degree in community health from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, an M.S. degree in demography from Florida State University and a B.A. degree in International Affairs from Florida State University.