“If You are Going to Step on This Campus,You Have to Get Vaccinated”: A Qualitative Understanding of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black Emerging Adults Returning to College Campuses

Abstract

For the academic year 2021–2022, many American colleges mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for students to return to campus. However, when academic leaders put these mandates into effect, they may have failed to consider the emotional impact on vaccine hesitant students, especially students who have been historically marginalized or underrepresented such as Black emerging adults. This qualitative study explored how vaccine hesitant Black emerging adults describe and understand their return to academia and, how the historical mistreatment of Black Americans influenced their feelings and decision-making process around the vaccine mandates. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 respondents, ages 18–25. The following themes were identified using thematic analysis: “…The Black Experience”: Historical Racism and Medical Misrepresentation; Personal and External Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy; Factors Impacting the Final Decision to get Vaccinated; Experiencing Varied Emotions about being Vaccinated. Findings demonstrate that the historical mistreatment of Black individuals shaped respondents’ experience and informed their hesitancy about being vaccinated. Further, while all respondents ultimately complied with the vaccine mandate and were able to return to campus, overall feelings post vaccination varied. Implications for future research, higher education, and clinical practice are discussed.