Racially minoritized people’s experiences of racism during COVID-19 in Australia: A qualitative study

Abstract

ObjectiveDrawing from a broader study exploring how New South Wales community members from racially minoritized backgrounds experienced living through a pandemic, this paper reports specifically on experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. MethodsUsing an in-depth, qualitative interpretive approach, 11 semi-structured interviews and one focus group hosting three participants (n=14) were held via an online videoconferencing platform from September to December 2020. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken using QRS NVivo as a data management tool. ResultsRacism was heightened during the pandemic and experienced in various ways by racially minoritized peoples in New South Wales. All participants in this research cited experiences of racism that impacted their wellbeing during COVID-19. These experiences are represented by the following four themes: experiencing racism is common; how racisms are experienced; increased fear of racism during COVID-19; and ways of coping with racisms. ConclusionsRacism was heightened during the pandemic and generated fear and anxiety that prevented racially minoritized peoples from participating in everyday life. Implications for Public HealthMessaging from broader public platforms must be harnessed to stop the spread of moral panic so that during times of pandemic, public health strategies need only confirmation, not creation.