Criminality, foreignness, and illness stereotypes underlie racial minorities' social identity threat wearing different face masks during COVID-19.

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black and Asian, compared to White, people experienced unique social identity threats (SITs) while wearing face masks (Kahn & Money, 2022). This study examines specific racial stereotypes (criminality, foreignness, illness) and mask types (bandanas, surgical masks, maskless) that underlie SIT while wearing masks and their effect on safety.

Method: Black, Asian, and White participants ( = 591) completed a cross-sectional survey about SIT experiences wearing different face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.