Who’s to blame for the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand? Applying attribution theory to understand public stigma

While on-going COVID-19 pandemic has brought increased discrimination, stigma, and racism toward individuals of Asian descent, little research has concentrated on public perceptions regarding who is to blame for the spread of the virus. This study extends integrated threat theory and attribution theory by examining the extent to which prejudice against Asians is related to blame attribution in New Zealand. The paper employs a mixed-method approach, including a series of measures analysed quantitatively and two additional open-ended questions analysed qualitatively. The findings suggest that to understand public stigma in ambiguous crises/events, it is significant to look beyond theoretic frameworks. Particularly, this research provides better understanding of how blame attribution has developed and linked with threats in the pandemic. First, fear of contact with COVID-19 is positively related to symbolic and realistic threats. Second, the more people believe COVID-19 is a public health risk, the more symbolic and realistic threats they have. Third, realistic threat is linked to blame attribution.