Anti-Asian Discrimination and Antiracist Bystander Behaviors amid the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Anti-Asian racism is a public health concern, and it has escalated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Bystanders—individuals who witness acts of racism—can help by discouraging perpetrations of discrimination (and other forms of interpersonal violence), offering help and support to victims, and reinforcing (antiracist) prosocial norms. Yet, little is known about who engages in antiracist bystander intervention behaviors in response to discriminatory events, and who engages in proactive bystander behaviors in general. In the current study, 456 US community adults of diverse ethnic backgrounds (18-85 years, Mage = 48.8, 52.0% women, 212 Asian Americans) reported on their experiences with discrimination, attitudes about the acceptability of discrimination, and engagement in proactive and reactive bystander behaviors. About 40% of the Asian American participants experienced COVID-related discrimination during a one-week period. Among individuals who witnessed anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 outbreak, 45% of them engaged in any antiracist reactive bystander interventions. More frequent everyday discrimination experiences predicted greater odds of reactive bystander behaviors, over and above ethnicity, gender, and attitudes about the acceptability of discrimination. Initial evidence supported the utility of a new measure assessing bystander behaviors in response to racial discrimination. Prior exposure to discrimination may contribute to individuals’ active engagement in antiracist bystander behaviors. Future research directions on antiracist bystander actions and allyship are discussed.

Anti-Asian microaggressions in the time of COVID-19: Impact on coping, stress, and well-being.

“…Even so, there are costs for confrontation (Gulker et al, 2013). Lui et al (2021) described the value of allyship based on bystander interventions for anti-Asian racism and acts of discrimination. Bystanders are peoplewho directly witness or become aware of acts of racism.…”

“…Bystanders are peoplewho directly witness or become aware of acts of racism. Bystanders can interrupt or challenge the perpetrators before or during a discriminatory act, physically defend the victims of attacks, seek help from authority and other people, comfort and support the victims, and speak out against the incidents or perpetrators afterwards (Lui et al, 2021, pp. 3–5).…”

COVID-19 anti-Asian racism: A tripartite model of collective psychosocial resilience.

“…Indeed, a surge of racist incidents (e.g., physical assault, verbal harassment, or online racial discrimination) targeting individuals of Asian descent has been reported in the United States and globally since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1,800 reports in the United States alone over an 8-week period (Borja et al, 2020; also, see Cheah et al, 2020). A Pew survey indicated that since the outbreak of COVID-19, about 40% of Asian American adults reported that people acted uncomfortably around them, 31% experienced racial/ethnic slurs or jokes, and 26% feared physical attack (Ruiz et al, 2020).…”

Racism exposure and trauma accumulation perpetuate pain inequities—advocating for change (RESTORATIVE): A conceptual model.

“…Recently, we have seen the normalization of hate speech (Opotow & McClelland, 2020), an increase in hate crimes (Potok, 2017), and the instigation of domestic terrorism threatening racialized groups (Bell, 2019). Almost half of White Americans and nearly one third of Black Americans hold pro-White bias and a negative bias toward Black Americans (Morin & Rohal, 2015), and 31% of Asian Americans report being subjected to racialized slurs and jokes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (Ruiz et al, 2020). However, psychologists often remain hesitant to directly attribute health inequities to racism and draw implicit rather than explicit conclusions about key drivers identified in their work.…”