Amidst the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2020, this study focused on the preventive behaviours against COVID-19 infection and the exclusionary attitude towards foreigners in Japan. Particularly, we examined the effects of individual differences in the infection-avoidance tendency based on the behavioural immune system. A web survey of 1,248 Japanese citizens aged 18 years or above living in Japan who were registrants of a crowdsourcing service indicated that as the threat of the COVID-19 spread increased, there were tendencies for infection-preventive behaviours to increase. In addition, people with a strong infection-avoidance tendency adopted more preventive actions, regardless of whether they were under normal circumstances or the threat of infection, indicating their strong rejective attitudes towards the Chinese and other foreigners under the threat of infection. This study recorded the behavioural and psychological states of people who were in the midst of rapid and unpredictable real-world changes in the early stages of the infection. Data collected in Japan, where the infection had begun earlier, will provide valuable knowledge to countries worldwide where major social changes are expected in the future.
The Relationship between Infection-Avoidance Tendency and Exclusionary Attitudes towards Foreigners: A Case Study of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Japan