When Immigrants Are Seen as Health Threats: Deservingness and American Welfare Attitudes in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Political Representation: Race, Gender, and Age I

Abstract

This paper examines how perceptions of immigrants as health threats shape public support for welfare policies in the United States. Prior research suggests that heightened sensitivity to disease vulnerability can influence political attitudes toward immigration and related policies. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique context for exploring how such perceptions affect welfare support. Drawing on data from the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS), this study demonstrates that perceptions of immigrants as health threats vary across different immigrant groups (e.g., Chinese immigrants and general immigrants) and have distinct implications for support across various types of welfare provisions.

Authors

• Seungjoon Yoo, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Chansong Kim, Sogang University