COVID racism driven by more than fear of infection

Anti-Asian discrimination and violence increased during COVID, and new research from Murdoch University has revealed one key psychological driver.

Rather than being driven by a fear of infection, aggressive forms of discrimination appeared to be more strongly associated with anger.

Dr Amy Lim from Murdoch University’s School of Psychology said that while concerns about infection might explain why people avoid those they perceive to be infectious, this explanation does not fully account for the rise in aggressive anti-Asian responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a marked rise in anti-Asian sentiment, with individuals of Asian descent facing widespread discrimination, prejudice and attacks in several contexts, with many of the most salient reported cases emerging from Western societies,” Dr Lim said.

“From a disease-avoidance perspective, one might expect people to distance themselves from those they perceive as posing an infection risk. However, this does not explain more confrontational or aggressive responses, which could increase exposure rather than reduce it.

“As studies have yet to address this contradiction, we sought to uncover the motivational processes that may help explain the hostility directed toward Asians during the pandemic.”

Aggressive responses

Dr Lim said the findings suggest that while disease-avoidance concerns may contribute to some forms of discrimination during a pandemic, anger appears to play a particularly important role in explaining aggressive anti-Asian responses.

“When an outgroup is perceived as posing a threat to the wider community, anger can motivate people to confront, punish, or exclude the perceived source of threat.

“This helps explain why some anti-Asian responses during COVID-19 took more aggressive forms, rather than being limited to avoidance or distancing.”

Social narratives

The study suggests that anti-Asian discrimination may also be shaped by broader social narratives, including media and political discourse that linked Asians to the virus, alongside pre-existing histories of prejudice and stereotyping.

The study found differences in mean levels of anger between Caucasian participants in the United States and Australia, with anger levels higher among American participants than Australian participants.

This suggests that anger may be a relevant emotional driver across contexts, but that its strength can vary depending on social, cultural, and political conditions.

Psychological processes

Importantly, Dr Lim said the findings should not be read as attributing blame to any group as a whole, but as identifying psychological processes that may become more salient under particular social and political conditions.

“This is not about suggesting that any one group is inherently more prejudiced,” Dr Lim said.

“Rather, the findings show how anger can be activated when people are exposed to narratives that frame another group as threatening or responsible for a crisis.”

Waves of discrimination

The research findings suggest that addressing anger will be critical in preventing future waves of discrimination during global crises.

“Understanding the emotional drivers behind these behaviours is key,” Dr Lim said.

“If we want to reduce hate, we need to address the narratives and perceptions that fuel anger in the first place.”

The full research article Pathogen avoidance versus anger: the motivation underlying Asian hate is available in the Journal of Social Psychology.