Immigrant blaming during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Canadian American study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted our society - economically, politically, and interpersonally. The Asian community, in particular, faced severe xenophobia globally, with blame often unfairly attributed to them for the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study focuses on factors associated with increased blame toward Asian immigrants by host nationals in the United States and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of a research project on intergroup relations, data were collected from 233 native-born Americans and 218 native-born Canadians. Multiple regression analyses indicated that national identity and country of residence together explained seven percent of the variability in blaming Asian immigrants for the pandemic. Higher national identity was related to lower blaming of Asian immigrants. Conservative sociopolitical views were also associated with increased blaming. Additionally, we found a moderating effect of COVID-related worry on the relationship between country of residence and blaming Asian immigrants for the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that the relationship between the country of residence of the participants and the blame they place on Asian immigrants was influenced by their worry about the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings could be valuable in shaping public health communication strategies in future health crises, particularly in terms of ways to address and mitigate discriminatory discourse against minorities and immigrants.