Bias victimization and perceptions of threat during COVID-19: the effect of race and political ideology

Drawing on an original, nationally representative sample of Asian, Black, Latino, and White adults in the United States, this article examines how race and political ideology shaped individuals' perception of bias victimization threats during COVID-19. Overall, racialized minorities perceived a greater threat of bias victimization than their White counterparts. However, these perceptions varied by political ideology. First, Asian, Black, and Latino liberals, as well as Asian and Black moderates, perceived higher levels of bias victimization threat to themselves and their family and friends. Second, Asian and Black liberals perceived an increased change in the threat of bias victimization since the start of the pandemic. Third, White liberals perceived less threat of bias victimization for themselves in comparison to White conservatives. We propose that examining the intersecting effects of race and political ideology is important to understand perceptions of bias victimization during the pandemic.