Xenophobia in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: how the pandemic increases zero-sum bias about foreign nationals

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the shores of South Africa, the government responded quickly. Although proactive government policies saved thousands of lives, the health and economic implications of the pandemic have been (and continue to be) devastating. As the state implements its vaccination programme and begins to rebuild the economy, it is worth asking whether this current crisis has made South Africans more suspicious of outsiders.