COVID-19 fear and ethnocentrism in the global south: A cross-cultural analysis

Abstract

This study explored the extent to which fear of COVID-19 was related to ethnocentrism in 10 Global South nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa, and Singapore. Based on a representative sample of 2963 participants, results revealed ethnocentrism and fear of COVID-19 are positively correlated. In addition, there was a significant difference in ethnocentrism and fear of COVID-19 based on nation and sex. Theoretical implications and future research are discussed, with an emphasis on how the presence of a contagion, a virus, influences intercultural and intergroup dynamics, prejudice, and ethnocentrism.