Self-protection or “othering” discrimination? How information sources link perceived threats and avoidance behaviors toward immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic

Throughout history, disease outbreaks have triggered discrimination and avoidance toward groups perceived as carriers, which reflects a persistent pattern of "othering" in response to health threats. This study examines how COVID-19 threat perceptions influenced avoidance behaviors toward specific ethnic groups and investigates the mediating role of trust in different information sources. Using data from an online survey conducted via Meta Advertising Manager in Europe and the United States during the early stages of the pandemic, the research reveals three key findings. First, perceived COVID-19 threats correlated with avoidance behaviors toward restaurants, products, and human contact, with stronger associations observed toward Asians compared to Iranians and Italians. Second, higher perceived threats positively correlated with increased trust in most information channels, though the relationship varied by country. Third, the study identifies a crucial mechanism where trust in social media networks and personal acquaintances acts as a key factor in transforming perceived pandemic threats into ethnically targeted avoidance behaviors, while traditional information sources like medical professionals and newspapers showed no such effect. These findings demonstrate how global health crises can inadvertently reinforce xenophobic attitudes through information dissemination channels and offer insights for preventing racial and ethnic biases during public health emergencies.