Asian Australians’ Experiences of Online Racism during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alanna Kamp, Nida Denson, Rachel Sharples and Rosalie Atie
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Alanna Kamp: School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Nida Denson: School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Rachel Sharples: School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Rosalie Atie: School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: Between 13 November 2020 and 11 February 2021, an online national survey of 2003 Asian Australians was conducted to measure the type and frequency of self-identified Asian Australians’ experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey also aimed to gauge the relationships between racist experiences and targets’ mental health, wellbeing and sense of belonging. In this paper, we report findings on the type and frequency of online racist experiences and their associations with mental health, wellbeing and belonging. The survey found that 40 per cent of participants experienced racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within that group, 66 per cent experienced racism online. The demographic pattern of those most likely to experience online racism were younger age groups, males, those born in Australia, English speakers at home, non-Christians, and migrants who have been in Australia less than 20 years. Analysis also found a strong correlation between Asian Australians’ experiences of online racism and poor mental health, wellbeing and belonging. The relationship between experiencing racism, non-belonging and morbidity were more pronounced for those who experienced online racism compared to those who experienced racism in other offline contexts. This points to the corrosive nature of online racism on social cohesion, health and belonging.

Keywords: racism; online racism; cyber racism; belonging; social cohesion; COVID-19; mental health; wellbeing; Asian Australian; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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