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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Psychology And The Threat Of Contagion: Feeling Vulnerable To A Disease Moderates The Link Between Xenophobic Thoughts And Support For Ingroup-Protective Actions, Heejung S. Kim, Kimin Eom, Roxie Chuang, David K. Sherman
Psychology And The Threat Of Contagion: Feeling Vulnerable To A Disease Moderates The Link Between Xenophobic Thoughts And Support For Ingroup-Protective Actions, Heejung S. Kim, Kimin Eom, Roxie Chuang, David K. Sherman
Research Collection School of Social Sciences
The widespread threat of contagious disease disrupts not only everyday life but also psychological experience. Building on findings regarding xenophobic responses to contagious diseases, this research investigates how perceived vulnerability to a disease moderates the psychological link between people’s xenophobic thoughts and support for ingroup-protective actions. Three datasets collected during the time of Ebola (N = 867) and COVID-19 (Ns = 992 and 926) measured perceived disease risk, group-serving biases (i.e., xenophobic thoughts), and support for restrictive travel policies (i.e., ingroup-protective actions). Using correlational and quasi-experimental analyses, results indicated that for people who perceive greater disease risk, the association between …
Religion, Social Connectedness, And Xenophobic Responses To Ebola, Roxie Chuang, Kimin Eom, Heejung S. Kim
Religion, Social Connectedness, And Xenophobic Responses To Ebola, Roxie Chuang, Kimin Eom, Heejung S. Kim
Research Collection School of Social Sciences
This study examined the role of religion in xenophobic responses to the threat of Ebola. Religious communities often offer members strong social ties and social support, which may help members cope with psychological and physical threat, including global threats like Ebola. Our analysis of a nationally representative sample in the U.S. (N = 1,000) found that overall, the more vulnerable to Ebola people felt, the more they exhibited xenophobic responses, but this relationship was moderated by importance of religion. Those who perceived religion as more important in their lives exhibited weaker xenophobic reactions than those who perceived religion as less …