From Naming to Blaming: Using Ethnic/Geographic (vs. Medical) Virus Labels Increases Hostility, Xenophobia, and Stigma

A pre-registered experiment (N = 1,009) tested virus label effects on U.S. residents’ pandemic responses. Among non-Chinese Americans, the “Chinese virus” (vs. “COVID-19”) label increased hostility, anti-China policy attitudes, blaming Chinese people for the pandemic, and avoiding Chinese-owned businesses; among politically conservative Chinese Americans, it increased shame and self-monitoring.