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

Abstract

AbstractDrawing 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.