Pandemic may have intensified U.S. workplace prejudice against East
Asian and Hispanic colleagues
Experimental survey study used hypothetical scenarios to examine
attitudes towards ethno-racial minorities

Date:
April 13, 2022
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
A new, U.S.-based survey study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic
may have amplified prejudicial attitudes against East Asian and
Hispanic colleagues in the workplace.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new, U.S.-based survey study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may
have amplified prejudicial attitudes against East Asian and Hispanic
colleagues in the workplace. Neeraj Kaushal, Yao Lu and Xiaoning Huang
of Columbia University, New York, and Northwestern University, Chicago,
present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on April 13.


========================================================================== Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, instances of discrimination and hate
crimes towards minorities have increased, particularly against Chinese Americans. Most reported instances have occurred in public and involved strangers. However, because workplace discrimination is less likely to
be reported, the potential impacts of the pandemic on workplace attitudes towards ethno-racial minorities have been unclear.

Kaushal and colleagues analyzed survey data collected early in the
pandemic, in August 2020, from 3,837 working-age American adults. Each participant received one of two versions of the survey; one opened
with a brief description of the state of the pandemic, followed by
questions about how COVID-19 had impacted respondents personally and,
given a hypothetical workplace scenario, their preference for working
with a hypothetical colleague from a certain ethno- racial group. The
second version asked about the hypothetical colleague first, before
asking about the personal impact of COVID-19.

Statistical analysis of the survey responses suggests that priming
participants with a description and questions about the pandemic
reduced their acceptance of East Asians as hypothetical colleagues
and supervisors, and also reduced acceptance of hypothetical Hispanic colleagues, supervisors, and staff.

Participants who had lost their jobs due to COVID-19, as well as those
from counties with higher COVID-19 rates and lower concentrations
of East Asians, showed greater prejudice towards East Asians in their responses. No evidence was found for prejudice against hypothetical white, Black, or South Asian coworkers.

These findings suggest the possibility that the pandemic amplified health
and economic insecurities among Americans, thereby exacerbating prejudice against minority groups in the workplace. Prior research suggests that
such prejudices increase the likelihood of discriminatory actions,
which can have both short- and long-term cross-generation impacts on
minorities -- including reduced economic opportunities and productivity,
harms to mental and physical health, and reduced integration with society.

The authors add: "Our findings highlight a dimension of prejudice,
intensified during the pandemic, which has been largely underreported
and missing from the current discourse. Workplace discrimination can
alienate minorities and sow seeds of distrust that can have long-term
impacts spilling across generations."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Neeraj Kaushal, Yao Lu, Xiaoning Huang. Pandemic and prejudice:
Results
from a national survey experiment. PLOS ONE, 2022; 17 (4): e0265437
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265437 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220413141546.htm

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