prasad1
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Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans who have greater trust in President Donald Trump are more likely to engage in discriminatory behavior against Asian Americans, according to a new study.
The researchers ― who looked at the opinions of more than 1,140 adults living across the U.S. of both major political affiliations ― also found that people who had less accurate knowledge about the virus and less trust in science reported more negative attitudes toward Asians.
Trump continues to refer to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” a dog-whistle misnomer critics say the president uses to dodge criticism over his administration’s failures in addressing the pandemic. Trump ― who has also called the virus the “Kung Flu” ― claims his rhetoric is directed at China, where the virus originated, and not meant to disparage or harm Asian Americans.
But the new research suggests otherwise, according Berkeley Franz, the study’s co-author and an assistant professor at Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University.
“What is most compelling about our findings is that public health messaging from leaders has real and important consequences, not only for believing COVID-19 is serious or understanding how it is transmitted, but also for shaping attitudes toward racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S,” Franz told HuffPost.
www.huffpost.com
The researchers ― who looked at the opinions of more than 1,140 adults living across the U.S. of both major political affiliations ― also found that people who had less accurate knowledge about the virus and less trust in science reported more negative attitudes toward Asians.
Trump continues to refer to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” a dog-whistle misnomer critics say the president uses to dodge criticism over his administration’s failures in addressing the pandemic. Trump ― who has also called the virus the “Kung Flu” ― claims his rhetoric is directed at China, where the virus originated, and not meant to disparage or harm Asian Americans.
But the new research suggests otherwise, according Berkeley Franz, the study’s co-author and an assistant professor at Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University.
“What is most compelling about our findings is that public health messaging from leaders has real and important consequences, not only for believing COVID-19 is serious or understanding how it is transmitted, but also for shaping attitudes toward racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S,” Franz told HuffPost.
People Who Trust Trump Are More Likely To Discriminate Against Asians: Study
Incidents of racism against Asian Americans during the pandemic haven't ebbed. The president, meanwhile, keeps calling COVID-19 the "China virus."
