Social media intergroup expression and White Americans’ attitudes toward ethnic Chinese during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT Guided by intergroup contact theory, this survey study investigates how White American adults’ (N = 697, Mage = 44.42, SD = 14.6, age range = 18–67) social media intergroup expression frequency and valence, direct contact quality, and perceptions of institutional bias were associated with behavioral and affective attitudes toward ethnic Chinese during COVID-19. Structural Equation Modeling analyses indicate that social media intergroup expression valence and direct contact quality play a critical role in improving intergroup attitudes toward ethnic Chinese directly, and indirectly through building empathy and/or reducing anxiety. In addition, analyses demonstrate the negative role of social media intergroup expression frequency, which had: (1) a direct negative effect on behavioral attitudes and (2) an indirect negative effect on both attitudinal measures through increased anxiety and decreased empathy. Lastly, perceptions of institutional bias were negatively associated with affective attitudes through increased intergroup anxiety. Overall, findings reveal the dynamic interplay of the intergroup processes between social media intergroup expression, intergroup contact, and perceptions of institutional bias in shaping intergroup anxiety, empathy, and attitudes during COVID-19.