Social cohesion in times of crisis

Initial studies show that racism against Asian-read people increased worldwide during the Corona pandemic. This is related to media coverage, which in many cases is cliché-laden and stereotypically linked to colonial racist discourses, arouses emotions and assigns blame. Almost one million people in Germany come from Asian countries or are descendants of people who immigrated from these countries. In previous research, however, anti-Asian racism has hardly been considered because the group concerned is considered to be economically well integrated, is very heterogeneous and seems to experience a - compared to other groups - lower level of overt racism.

The aim of the project was to investigate how the Corona pandemic influenced racism towards Asian-read people in Germany. A mixed-method design was used, combining a quantitative survey with experimental elements and a qualitative diary study.

Results: An online survey and pretest were prepared, and a survey was conducted. In order to capture the perspective of those affected, an approach via migrant organisations was chosen and another online survey and a diary study were prepared. In a third step, the results were evaluated and compiled and a short report was prepared and presented; further publications will follow.

Initial studies show that racism against people of Asian descent increased worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is linked to media coverage that is often laden with clichés and stereotypes, drawing on colonial racist discourses, evoking emotions, and assigning blame. Almost one million people in Germany originate from Asian countries or are descendants of immigrants from these countries. However, anti-Asian racism has received little attention in research so far, as the affected group is considered economically well integrated, highly heterogeneous, and seemingly experiences less overt racism compared to other groups.

The project aims to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced racism against people perceived as Asian in Germany. A mixed-methods design was used, combining two quantitative surveys with experimental elements and a qualitative diary study

Three surveys were conducted and analyzed:

In collaboration with korientation, a self-recruited online community survey was conducted from October 28 to December 13, 2020, with 703 participants.
This was followed by a qualitative diary study in which participants recorded experiences over 14 days that involved racialized external perceptions. A total of 82 participants successfully completed the study.
Additionally, a quantitative survey targeting the general population was conducted in three waves via an online access panel, reaching 4,843 participants. The study examined which socio-psychological factors may promote anti-Asian racism.

The community survey conducted in autumn/winter 2020 among people of Asian descent shows:

A majority (55%) of the 703 respondents reported experiencing anti-Asian racism in the first year of the pandemic.
Three quarters (75%) of those with experiences of racism reported non-verbal discrimination (e.g. stares, avoidance, defensive gestures), 62% reported verbal discrimination, and 11% reported physical violence.
Discrimination most frequently occurred in public spaces: 52% reported incidents on the street, 51% on public transport, and 31% in shops. By contrast, 22% reported incidents online, 10% in educational institutions, 10% at the workplace, and 8% in private settings.
Only a minority reported incidents to institutions: 22% of those who experienced physical discrimination reported it to an institution, and 13% shared it on social media. Among those who experienced verbal discrimination, 10% reported it to an institution and 10% shared it on social media.
Experiences of discrimination during the pandemic and media coverage of anti-Asian racism contributed to increased engagement against racism. While 13% of respondents were already involved in organizations or initiatives before the pandemic, an additional 5% became active during the pandemic. Although these figures are not representative due to the survey’s distribution via an NGO, they correspond to 125 active individuals, including 37 who became involved during the pandemic.

The diary study conducted in the same period shows:
Among the 82 participants, experiences of racism were followed by feelings such as fear, anger, sadness, hurt, tension, a sense of exclusion, loss of safety and/or belonging in Germany, and withdrawal from public spaces.

• Suda, Kimiko; Köhler, Jonas (2024): Antiasiatischer Rassismus in Zeiten der Pandemie: Hintergründe, Kontexte und empirische Ergebnisse. NaDiRa-Fokusbericht 2024. Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM).  
• Suda, Kimiko; Köhler, Jonas (2023): Counter-Frames Against Anti-Asian Racism During the Corona Pandemic in Berlin – Coping With Exclusion, Creating Belonging and Organising Resistance. Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 1-36. DOI: 10.1177/18681026231161373. 
• Scholaske, Laura (2022): Role of anti-Asian racism for subjective well-being among people of Asian origin in Germany. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000557. 
• Veit, Susanne; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Nguyen, Christoph (2023): Mein rechter, rechter Platz ist leer …: Wie Schutzmasken, Geschlecht und zugeschriebene Ethnizität die Sitzplatzwahl in der U-Bahn beeinflussen – ein visuelles Choice-Experiment. DeZIM.insights 13, Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM). 
• Suda, Kimiko; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Nguyen, Christoph (2020): Antiasiatischer Rassismus in Deutschland. Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 70 (42-44), 39-44. 
• Mayer, Sabrina J.; Nguyen, Christoph G.; Veit, Susanne; Wölfer, Ralf; Suda, Kimiko; Lietz, Almuth; Köhler, Jonas (2022): Soziale Kohäsion in Krisenzeiten. Die Corona-Pandemie und antiasiatischer Rassismus in Deutschland. Außenperspektive quantitative Erhebungen: Datensatz Version: 1.0.0. SUF C. Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM). DOI: 10.34882/dezim.aar.c.1.0.0. 
• Suda, Kimiko; Mayer, Sabrina J.; Nguyen, Christoph; Köhler, Jonas (2024): Soziale Kohäsion in Krisenzeiten. Die Corona-Pandemie und anti-asiatischer Rassismus in Deutschland. Innenperspektive quantitative Erhebung: Datensatz Version: 1.0.0. Berlin: Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM). DOI: 10.34882/dezim.aar-community.download.1.0.0.