Intergroup biologization and outgroup prejudice in the time of COVID-19

Journal article

Roberta Rosa Valtorta, Cristina Baldissarri, Chiara Volpato, Luca Andrighetto
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 52, 2022, pp. 37-50

DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12831

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APA Click to copy
Valtorta, R. R., Baldissarri, C., Volpato, C., & Andrighetto, L. (2022). Intergroup biologization and outgroup prejudice in the time of COVID-19. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 52, 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12831

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Valtorta, Roberta Rosa, Cristina Baldissarri, Chiara Volpato, and Luca Andrighetto. “Intergroup Biologization and Outgroup Prejudice in the Time of COVID-19.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 52 (2022): 37–50.

MLA Click to copy
Valtorta, Roberta Rosa, et al. “Intergroup Biologization and Outgroup Prejudice in the Time of COVID-19.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology, vol. 52, 2022, pp. 37–50, doi:10.1111/jasp.12831.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{roberta2022a,
  title = {Intergroup biologization and outgroup prejudice in the time of COVID-19},
  year = {2022},
  journal = {Journal of Applied Social Psychology},
  pages = {37-50},
  volume = {52},
  doi = {10.1111/jasp.12831},
  author = {Valtorta, Roberta Rosa and Baldissarri, Cristina and Volpato, Chiara and Andrighetto, Luca}
}

Abstract

Through two studies (N = 602) conducted in Italy between February and March 2020, we examined the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on biologization - a form of dehumanization that involves the perception of others as contagious entities - and outgroup prejudice. Overall, results showed that higher emergency perception was associated with greater biologization toward the groups most affected by the virus, namely the Chinese outgroup and the Italian ingroup. In turn, biologization toward the outgroup increased prejudice against that group. We also found that when the pandemic hit Italy, the greater emergency perception was associated with increased emotional closeness with Chinese people, resulting in reduced biologization and prejudice toward them. However, these results held true only for Italian respondents who reported higher levels of ingroup biologization. Taken together, our findings contribute to the knowledge gaps of biologization and prejudice by also providing relevant insights into the ongoing health emergency.