COVID-19 impacts Black, Hispanic and lower-income Sacramentans more severely, poll finds

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of all Sacramentans, but certain communities — particularly Black, Hispanic and lower-income residents — have been feeling the impacts of COVID-19 more severely, a new public poll found.

The COVID-19 Resilience Poll lays bare the glaring disparities in economic and health impacts experienced in some communities that have increasingly alarmed public health officials looking to slow coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

The poll reflects responses from roughly 1,000 residents from across the capital region in late May, when most of California was in the midst of widespread stay-at-home orders. The poll, published by Capital Public Radio and Valley Vision, was administered by Sacramento State’s Institute for Social Research.

Half of very low income earners, making $30,000 or less, told researchers they were very concerned about personal finances because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s been more difficult — and in some cases impossible — for Black and Hispanic respondents to secure medicine and health advice, compared to residents of other ethnic groups.

And though respondents from all backgrounds reported high levels of stress and anxiety related to COVID-19, young people and people of color were more likely to say they have experienced feelings of depression or hopelessness.

“COVID-19 has brought social and economic turmoil to a degree not seen in generations,” the report stated. “It will be important to agree on a common set of facts on which to build priorities and catalyze action that support recovery.”

The findings come as the Sacramento region experiences skyrocketing unemployment, and major parts of California’s economy have been shuttered once more amid rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

The unemployment rate in the Sacramento region was nearly 14 percent in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data release.

About one in three respondents worry about paying for necessary expenses like rent and bills. In particular, Black respondents were more likely to say they were concerned about their job security, compared to white respondents.

At the same time, public health officials say essential workers who cannot afford to leave their jobs to shelter in place are more at risk of catching the virus. Those jobs — construction workers, grocery store clerks, farm workers — are often low wage, and occupied by many Black and Latino residents.

Across the country, Black and Latino communities are seeing higher rates of disease transmission. In California, Latino residents make up a disproportionate percent of all COVID-19 cases, about 55 percent of the more than 356,000 infections statewide — a reality that has prompted state and local officials to get more aggressive about targeted outreach and testing.

Perhaps most worrying, Latino and Black Californians are dying at a higher rate compared to the overall population. Driven in part by decades of racial disparities in access to healthcare, experts say, higher rates of chronic diseases in communities of color have made some even more vulnerable to the virus’ worst symptoms.

“To weather this storm, we will need sustained focus and action,” the report states. “It will be important to agree on a common set of facts on which to build priorities and catalyze action that support recovery.”

Other findings in the poll include:

▪ Nearly half of Sacramento-area residents said they have experienced loss of income during the pandemic.

▪ About a third are struggling to afford basic needs, including rent or mortgage and bills.

▪ More than two-thirds of Sacramento-area residents who are still working expressed some level of concern about becoming infected with coronavirus on the job.

▪ Half of very low income-earners are very concerned about getting COVID-19 at work.

▪ Black respondents were also more likely to be concerned about a family member contracting the virus, personally contracting the virus at work, or being able to care for loved ones, than white respondents.

This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 1:43 PM.