Together with Eastern Michigan University’s Family Empowerment Program and the Washtenaw County Racial Equity Office, the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being at the University of Michigan School of Social Work finds COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on Ypsilanti residents of color. Black and Latinx residents are more likely to have a friend or family member die from COVID-19, to have lost their job during the pandemic, and to have had difficulty with their child’s transition to virtual learning, among other findings. These results come from a survey of 676 Ypsilanti residents taken between June 12 and August 21, funded by a grant from Poverty Solutions.
Of respondents who self-identified their race, 33.6% identified as Black, 51.7% as white, 11.5% as Latinx, and all other races comprised 3%.
Key findings include the following:
- 35% of Black respondents report having friends or family members die from COVID-19, versus 9% of white and 15% of Latinx respondents.
- 16% of Black and 17% of Latinx respondents have lost their jobs as a results of COVID-19, versus 9% of white respondents.
- 48% of Black respondents believed they were ineligible for the expanded UI benefits under the CARES Act, versus 29% of white and 25% of Latinx respondents.
- 38% of Black respondents are able to work from home during the pandemic, versus 65% of white and 82% of Latinx respondents.
- 13% of Black and Latinx respondents, respectively, have moved as a result of COVID-19, versus 4% of white respondents.
- 39% of Latinx and 30% of Black respondents report being late with rent or mortgage payments during the pandemic, versus 11% of white respondents.
- 64% of Latinx respondents are worried they will run out of food in the next seven days, versus 37% of Black and 20% of white respondents.
- 34% of Latinx respondents report lack of support from their school district as a barrier to virtual learning, versus 12% of Black and 10% of white respondents.
For inquiries, contact Patrick Meehan at [email protected].