Right-wing authoritarianism and anti-Asian prejudice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Abstract

Drawing upon existing theory, the current research tested whether people high on right-wing authoritarianism were predisposed to endorse prejudice in reaction to anxiety arising from the threat posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In Study 1 (N = 3009), we found that among people high on right-wing authoritarianism, pandemic anxiety predicted a stronger endorsement of prejudice toward Asian Americans, who had been (inaccurately) associated with the spread of COVID-19. Preregistered Study 2 (N = 947) addressed the methodological limitations of Study 1 and replicated these findings at a later period in the pandemic. Implications and future directions are discussed.