COVID-19 Fake News and Attitudes toward Asian Americans

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between an inability to identify COVID-19 fake news, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), soci- odemographic factors (i.e., race, biological sex), and the level of xenophobia along with anti-Asian American sentiment. Participants included 100 male and female college students. Participants answered questions about their social media usage and were asked to identify social media news posts as either false or accurate. Participants also completed a series of measures regarding their attitudes toward Asian Americans and xenophobia. Soci- odemographic variables of race and sex were examined as well as partici- pants levels of RWA. Participants were frequent social media users, with many having multiple social media accounts. Almost twenty-one percent of participants were unable to identify COVID-19 fake news. Higher rates of xenophobia were found among White participants. Male, compared to female, participants were more likely to report experiencing kinship with Asian Americans. Both RWA and an inability to identify COVID-19 fake news was associated with increased prejudicial attitudes. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.