The experiences of UK-Chinese individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative interview study

Abstract

Infectious disease outbreaks have historically been associated with stigmatisation towards minority groups, specifically those associated with the geographical region that the disease was first identified. We aimed to investigate how the emerging COVID-19 pandemic was experienced by UK-resident individuals of Chinese ethnicity: how their perceived cultural and ethnic identity influenced their experiences, and how early insights into the pandemic in China influenced attitudes and behaviours. We undertook in-depth semi-structured interviews with individuals who self-identified as UK-Chinese. Participants were recruited from three cities in the UK. Interviews were undertaken over the telephone between 9th April 2020 and 16th July 2020. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded using NVivo software and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Sixteen individuals were interviewed. Three main themes were identified: (1) Attribution of stigma, (2) Pandemic legacies, and (3) Individual versus societal responses. These reflected six sub-themes: (1) Stigmatisation through (mis)identity, (2) Markers of pandemic awareness, (3) Legacies of previous pandemics, (4) Ascription of blame, (5) Extent of freedom, and (6) Implicit faith in government. Experiences of xenophobia included accounts of physical violence. UK-Chinese individuals experienced and perceived widespread xenophobia, in the context of media representations that ascribed blame and exacerbated stigmatisation. Prior experience of respiratory epidemics, and insight into the governmental and societal response in China, contributed to the early adoption of face masks. This in turn marked UK-Chinese individuals as targets for abuse. Awareness is needed to safeguard stigmatized groups from social and economic harm in future infectious disease pandemics.

Crisis and bias: Exploring ethnic prejudice among Chinese‐Dutch children before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Therefore, well‐educated mothers might have been more likely to reflect on their unpleasant intergroup relations at home, which can potentially have affected their children's interethnic attitudes. However, the Chinese diaspora's struggles with discrimination or being ‘othered’ due to the COVID‐19 have been found in different European countries (e.g., France, the United Kingdom; Al‐Talib et al, 2023; Wang et al, 2021). Similarly, Chinese American adolescents (10–18 years old) experienced direct and varied discrimination and were therefore negatively affected in terms of anxiety (Zong et al, 2022).…”

Construction and Application of a College English Blended Teaching System Based on Multi-Source Data Fusion

“…Presenting a reasonable application of theory in the classroom English teaching, multimedia helps college teachers to optimize classroom teaching and improve English teaching quality. Alkaabi et al (2023) explore how constructivism directs multimedia-assisted English teaching.…”

From Decline to Rebound: Analyzing the Dynamics of Fertility Trends in Sleman Regency Amid Global Shocks, 2018-2022

“…The pandemic has also led to a decrease in sexual and reproductive health care services due to global lockdowns and closures of non-essential health sectors (Falana, et.al., 2023). In terms of reproductive behavior, individuals in Czechia considered the most restrictive period of the pandemic to be unfavorable for childbirth, leading to a reduction in the planned number of children (Slabá, 2023). However, overall, there is no evidence for long-term effects of the pandemic on fertility, suggesting that pre-pandemic fertility forecasts still apply (Vanella, et.al., 2023).…”