Racial Disinformation, Populism and Associated Stereotypes across Three European Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Francesca D’Errico, Paolo Giovanni Cicirelli, Angelica Lops and Rosa Scardigno ()
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Francesca D’Errico: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Crisanzio Street 42, 70121 Bari, Italy
Paolo Giovanni Cicirelli: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Crisanzio Street 42, 70121 Bari, Italy
Angelica Lops: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Crisanzio Street 42, 70121 Bari, Italy
Rosa Scardigno: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Crisanzio Street 42, 70121 Bari, Italy

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: Within the realm of disinformation, across all media platforms, a crucial subject of interest seems to be immigration, which produces the so-called ‘racial hoaxes’. Racial hoaxes are closely linked to the spread of populist ideologies and ethnic stereotypes, both of which are psychosocial processes that, during health crises, could acquire particular features based on cultural differences. This study analysed the main contents of 239 racial hoaxes in relation to three main features: the country of origin (i.e., France, Italy and Spain), the stereotypical contents, and the COVID-19 pandemic period. The results highlight some similarities across these three countries but also peculiarities in terms of topics and stereotypical contents that were magnified during the pandemic period. The peculiarities of emerging racial hoaxes are discussed in relation to the stereotype content model and the literature on populist discourses, providing valuable information for use in psycho-educational intervention, policymaking and social integration efforts.

Keywords: fake news; racial hoaxes; stereotypes; populism; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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