COVID-19 vaccination coverage by ethnicity: Insight from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS): June 2021 to June 2022
On this page
- Overview
- Highlights
- Survey collection methodology
- Vaccination coverage among Indigenous peoples and racialized people
- Vaccination coverage estimates comparison
- Contact us
Overview
The purpose of this analysis is to:
- compare COVID-19 vaccination coverage between Indigenous peoples, racialized people 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
- 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 June 2022:
- A majority of people 18 years and older living in the 10 provinces had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (94%).
- The proportion of people having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was lower among people who self-identify as off-reserve First Nation (86%), or Black (89%), but higher among South Asian people (98%) than among White people (94%).
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, as well as an electronic questionnaire in 2022. 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's Canadian Community Health Survey for more information on the CCHS and the methodology of the survey, including the questionnaire.
The 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 for more information.
Data selected for this analysis
The present analysis on COVID-19 vaccination coverage among Indigenous peoples and racialized people used data collected from June 1, 2021 to June 30, 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, 9,509 adults aged 18 and older participated in the CCHS. The September to mid-November 2021 and the mid-November 2021 to February 2022 collection periods had 11,296 and 11,419 adult respondents, respectively. Between February and May 2022, 16,066 adult respondents participated, and between April and June 2022, 16,432 participated. The response rate varied between 21.8% and 45.0% over the 5 collection periods (Table 1). To ensure sufficient sample sizes by ethnicity, all 5 collection periods were combined for a total sample size of 64,722.
| Collection period | Dates | Number of adult respondents | Response rate (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| June-August | June 1, 2021 | September 5, 2021 | 9,509 | 22.6 |
| September-mid November | September 1, 2021 | November 14, 2021 | 11,296 | 21.8 |
| Mid November-February | November 15, 2021 | February 7, 2022 | 11,419 | 25.6 |
| February-May | February 9, 2022 | May 7, 2022 | 16,066 | 45.0 |
| April-June | April 2, 2022 | June 30, 2022 | 16,432 | 41.6 |
| All 5 periods combined | June 1, 2021 | June 30, 2022 | 64,722 | Average: 31.3 |
Vaccination coverage among Indigenous peoples and racialized people
Results by collection period
The proportion of people 18 years and older having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine increased from 89% in June-August 2021 to 95% in April 2022-June 2022.
Note: In the 10 provinces, all adults 18 years and older became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination throughout the month of May, 2021.
Figure 1: Text description
| Received at least 1 dose (%) | Collection period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June-August 2021 | September-mid November 2021 | Mid November 2021-February 2022 | February -May 2022 | April -June 2022 | |
| 18 years and older | 89 | 94 | 96 | 95 | 95 |
Based on the CCHS results, the proportion of people 18 years and older having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was 94% across collection periods. It increased from 89% in June-August 2021 to 95% in April June 2022. Because of the small number of respondents, comparisons between Indigenous peoples, racialized people and White people is possible only when combining the 5 collection periods.
Results for all 5 collection periods combined
- Vaccination coverage for at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was lower among people who self-identify as off-reserve First Nation (86%), or Black (89%), than among White people (94%).
- Vaccination coverage for at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was higher among South Asian people (98%) than among White people (94%).
- Vaccination coverage for Inuit and other racialized people were not reported due to small sample sizes.
In the following graph, White people are the reference category for comparisons.
Figure 2: Text description
| Population | % having received at least one dose |
|---|---|
| First Nations (off-reserve) | 86 |
| Métis | 90 |
| Black | 89 |
| Arab | 91 |
| Chinese | 96 |
| South Asian | 98 |
| White (reference category) | 94 |
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 5 CCHS collection periods:
- The CCHS overestimates COVID-19 vaccination coverage by between 4% and 9%, 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), 80% of the population 18 years and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; 87% as of October 9, 2021 at the midpoint of the September to mid-November collection period; 91% as of January 1, 2022 at the midpoint of mid-November to February collection period; 90% as of March 27, 2022 at the midpoint of February to May collection period; and 91% as of May 22, 2022 at the midpoint of April to June 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 –September 5, 2021 | 89% | July 17, 2021 | 80% |
| September 1, 2021 – November 14, 2021 | 94% | October 9, 2021 | 87% |
| November 15, 2021 – February 7, 2022 | 96% | January 1, 2022 | 91% |
| February 9–May 7, 2022 | 95% | March 27, 2022 | 90% |
| April 2–June 30, 2022 | 95% | May 22, 2022 | 91% |
For more information about the study
For a more detailed description of this analysis:
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
- Canadian COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Surveillance System (CCVCSS)
- 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
- Publications: Vaccines and immunization
For health professionals
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