COVID-19 threat and xenophobia: A moderated mediation model of empathic responding and negative emotions

The threat of disease is associated with xenophobia, but limited research is available to shed light on the underlying processes that shape this relationship. Based on integrated threat theory and existing research, we tested a model in which the association between threat of disease and xenophobia is mediated by negative emotions, and how the process is moderated by empathic responding to others who are concerned about the disease threat. The research was conducted in China during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic with the focus on Chinese unease about the people of Wuhan, the city where the pandemic began. A national sample of Chinese adults (N = 1697) completed a survey on their perceptions of risk due to COVID-19, negative emotions experienced during the pandemic, empathic responses to others who were concerned about COVID-19, and xenophobia expressed toward people from Wuhan. The results showed that negative emotions mediated the relationship between perceived COVID-19 threat and xenophobia. However, contrary to expectation, empathic responding did not weaken the relation between perceived COVID-19 threat and xenophobia; instead, it exacerbated the relationship. Specifically, empathic responding to help others in the context of concerns about COVID-19 was related to greater xenophobia toward the out-group (i.e., the people of Wuhan).