Abstract
Background: There has been an alarming increase in discrimination and violence towards Asians during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic amid reports that the virus was first detected in China. In an incident involving a COVID-19-related physical assault, this study examined whether economic hardship experienced by participants during the pandemic and the race of the victim (Chinese, White) would influence support to compensate a victim and punish the assailant. The study also explored whether the perception that the victim experienced emotional and physical suffering due to the assault would mediate the relationships. Method: Participants in India and the United States reported on their own economic hardship due to the pandemic. They then read about an incident in which an innocent person suffered a COVID-19-related physical and verbal attack, and indicated if they would support punishing the assailant and financially compensating the victim. Results: When the victim was Chinese, participants experiencing a high degree of COVID-19 economic hardship were less likely to support financially compensating the victim or punishing the assailant compared to when the victim was White. Furthermore, when the victim was Chinese, the negative associations between economic hardship and financially compensating the victim and punishing the assailant were mediated by reduced recognition that the victim suffered emotional trauma and pain as a result of the attack. Conclusions: COVID-19-driven economic hardship experienced by participants predicted an array of reactions that reflected reduced recognition of the civil and human rights of a victim of a COVID-19-related assault. These findings have significant implications for mental health, public health, and the justice system, and underscore the pressing need for prompt action to mitigate economic hardship and to address racism and discrimination.
Highlights
There has been an alarming increase in discrimination and violence towards Asians during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic amid reports that the virus was first detected in China [1,2]
This study addresses three pressing issues: Will economic hardship during the COVID19 pandemic influence support to criminally charge an individual who instigates a COVID19-related assault on an Asian victim? Will economic hardship predict whether individuals support financially compensating a victim of a COVID-19-related assault? Will perceptions concerning the degree to which the victim suffered mediate the association between economic hardship and support for punishing the assailant, and support for compensating the victim?
Despite the brutality of this unjustified attack, COVID-19-driven economic hardship experienced by participants predicted an array of reactions that reflected reductions in the recognition of the victim’s civil and human rights when the victim was Chinese
Summary
There has been an alarming increase in discrimination and violence towards Asians during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic amid reports that the virus was first detected in China [1,2]. In a review of anti-Asian discrimination incidents during the pandemic, the. Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council reports that witnesses and bystanders oftentimes did not intervene or provide any form of support to the victim [3,4]. In a pharmacy in the United States, an Asian woman was attacked when another customer covered her in Lysol disinfectant spray and yelled that she was “the infection.”. In New York City, observers did not intervene or provide assistance when a man repeatedly kicked a Filipino woman in the chest and yelled vulgarities at her [5].
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