Can past intergroup contact shape support for policies in a pandemic? Processes predicting endorsement of discriminatory Chinese restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

A survey of 340 UK residents was conducted when the COVID-19 virus first reached the UK in February 2020. We measured past experiences of positive and negative intergroup contact with Chinese people as predictors of intergroup threat and emotions in the context of the pandemic; and how these processes in turn predicted support for discriminatory policies designed to restrict the freedom of Chinese people in the UK. We tested a novel threat-matching hypothesis which draws upon models of outgroup-specific social perception to predict that the emotional processes underlying contact effects will depend on the specific threat posed by the outgroup. In the present epidemiological context, Chinese people posed a salient threat to individuals’ physical health and welfare. Accordingly, we show that whilst intergroup contact predicted both fear and anger towards the outgroup, the indirect effect of contact on support for Chinese restriction policies via fear was significantly stronger than the indirect effect via anger. Our findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how specific threat and emotions drive intergroup contact effects, and offer important insights for efforts to maintain positive intergroup relations in the face of the crisis.

Warmth and competence perceptions of key protagonists are associated with containment measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 35 countries

“…Other protagonists were also frequently perceived as salient; some who were also trying to actively manage the pandemic (e.g., political entities, such as governments, medical expert advisors, and NGOs); and some who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic (e.g., vulnerable groups, such as elderly and youth). Interestingly, no protagonist was nominated who were perceived to be partially responsible for the health crisis in other studies (e.g., (16). Yet, which of these protagonists emerged as relevant was far less universal across nations -a finding which we were only able to observe thanks to our participant-led nomination approach and coverage of 35 country contexts.…”

“…For instance, more benevolent social perceptions of elderly, vulnerable protagonists disproportionately affected by the pandemic were associated with more containment behaviors in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic (15). The less benevolent the perception of Chinese (protagonists perceived to be partially responsible for the pandemic), the more the endorsement for restriction policies in a UK sample (16). Lastly, it has been suggested that trust in institutions, such as governments, and health experts positively predicts compliance with measures recommended by these institutions (17)(18)(19).…”

Early perceptions of COVID-19 intensity and anti-Asian prejudice among White Americans

“…Another curious finding was the lack of a significant main effect of intergroup contact on less support for anti-Asian travel policy. This finding is somewhat unexpected given recent work from the UK showing that prior positive intergroup contact with Chinese people was associated with less support for anti-Chinese discriminatory policies among White British citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic (Alston et al, 2020). One possible reason for the difference in results concerns the particular measures used to assess support for discriminatory policies.…”

Reductions in perceived COVID‐19 threat amid UK’s mass public vaccination programme coincide with reductions in outgroup avoidance (but not prejudice)

“…Recent research has explored the consequences of COVID‐19 threat with regards to intergroup relations (see Schaller et al, 2021 ). With the virus thought to have originated in China, initial studies demonstrated positive correlations, in cross‐sectional datasets, between perceived COVID‐19 threat and anti‐Asian attitudes and support for discriminatory Chinese restrictions (Alston et al, 2020 ; Reny & Barreto, 2020 ). However, COVID‐19 threat has also been shown to lead to negative perceptions of stigmatized outgroups that are not directly associated with the virus.…”