A comparative analysis of Covid-19-related prejudice: the United States, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand

ABSTRACT Following the global outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), different countries took different approaches to informing their citizens about the pandemic and planned local public health initiatives. We use online participant panels in 4 affected countries – the US, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand – to explore the extent to which prejudice to Asian ethnic groups differed in these countries during the first wave of the pandemic. We argue that New Zealand’s lower scores on most indices of prejudice can be understood in part due to New Zealand’s cohesive, centralized government response to the pandemic that started early, included clear stages of response, and was led consistently by an a-political, public health and facts-base framing.