TY - JOUR
T1 - Racially minoritized people's experiences of racism during COVID-19 in Australia
T2 - A qualitative study
AU - Grant, Julian
AU - Biles, Jessica
AU - Yashadhana, Aryati
AU - Derbas, Alexia
N1 - Funding Information:
Using a qualitative interpretive approach, 28 the study used purposive sampling 29 to invite participation in a semi-structured interview or focus group discussion (FGD). A link to a project website was distributed via professional networks and social media. This was supported by participating third-party agencies including but not limited to the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia and the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga. Participants identified as coming from a racially minoritized background, living in NSW and being over 18 years of age. All interviews and FGDs were conducted on the online videoconferencing platform ZOOM. Semi-structured interview questions guided the focus group and interviews alike (please refer to interview guides). Questions were focused on participants’ experiences, and no interpreters were used for any interview. Interviews were recorded then transcribed via an external agency prior to analysis. Participants were offered the opportunity to review their transcript before analysis; however, all participants declined and no changes were made. Ethical approval was obtained from the Charles Sturt University Human Research Ethics Committee (H20198). Numerical identifiers were allocated to all participants to ensure the deidentification of data.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Objective: Drawing from a broader study exploring how New South Wales community members from racially minoritized backgrounds experienced living through a pandemic, this paper reports specifically on experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods: Using an in-depth, qualitative interpretive approach, 11 semi-structured interviews and one focus group hosting three participants (n=14) were held via an online videoconferencing platform from September to December 2020. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken using QRS NVivo as a data management tool. Results: Racism was heightened during the pandemic and experienced in various ways by racially minoritized peoples in New South Wales. All participants in this research cited experiences of racism that impacted their wellbeing during COVID-19. These experiences are represented by the following four themes: experiencing racism is common; how racisms are experienced; increased fear of racism during COVID-19; and ways of coping with racisms. Conclusions: Racism was heightened during the pandemic and generated fear and anxiety that prevented racially minoritized peoples from participating in everyday life. Implications for Public Health: Messaging from broader public platforms must be harnessed to stop the spread of moral panic so that during times of pandemic, public health strategies need only confirmation, not creation.
AB - Objective: Drawing from a broader study exploring how New South Wales community members from racially minoritized backgrounds experienced living through a pandemic, this paper reports specifically on experiences of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods: Using an in-depth, qualitative interpretive approach, 11 semi-structured interviews and one focus group hosting three participants (n=14) were held via an online videoconferencing platform from September to December 2020. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken using QRS NVivo as a data management tool. Results: Racism was heightened during the pandemic and experienced in various ways by racially minoritized peoples in New South Wales. All participants in this research cited experiences of racism that impacted their wellbeing during COVID-19. These experiences are represented by the following four themes: experiencing racism is common; how racisms are experienced; increased fear of racism during COVID-19; and ways of coping with racisms. Conclusions: Racism was heightened during the pandemic and generated fear and anxiety that prevented racially minoritized peoples from participating in everyday life. Implications for Public Health: Messaging from broader public platforms must be harnessed to stop the spread of moral panic so that during times of pandemic, public health strategies need only confirmation, not creation.
KW - Covid-19
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Racially minoritized people
KW - Racism
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U2 - 10.1016/j.anzjph.2023.100033
DO - 10.1016/j.anzjph.2023.100033
M3 - Article
C2 - 37019817
AN - SCOPUS:85151537243
SN - 1753-6405
JO - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
JF - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
M1 - 100033
ER -
