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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

Discrimination and technology-based disease control

  • Marion C. Aichberger1
  • Karolina Fetz2
  • Suyi Leong3
  • Heejung S. Kim
  • David K. Sherman
  • Tim S. Müller
  1. 1Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Berlin Institute for Integration and Migration Research, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
  2. 2Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Social Psychiatry, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  3. 3Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
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Abstract

Objectives: Experiences of ethnic discrimination may undermine compliance with public mitigation policies for disease control, such as Digital Contact Tracing (DCT), through increasing concerns, undermining trust and decreasing solidarity. Methods: Addressing this issue, we collected a web-based quota sample of the German population (N = 700) in September 2020 focusing on public health strategies aimed to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Results: Using a series of mediation models employing structural equation modelling we indeed find evidence that discrimination experiences, mediated via privacy concerns and trust in government, negatively predict DCT support and DCT opt-in. Our data, however, do not support the mediating role of solidarity. Additionally, we find that among individuals who were not using DCT, discrimination experiences were negatively associated with people’s willingness to participate in DCT in the future. This relationship was mediated by concerns that the government might use DCT against one’s ethnic group. Conclusion: Experiences of ethnic discrimination can decrease the effectiveness of health policies including respondent-driven tools like DCT, as their support depends strongly on the trust in government. Current and future policies should take ethnic minority concerns into account in order to improve their widespread acceptance.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{aichberger2026discrimination,
  title = {{Discrimination and technology-based disease control}},
  author = {Marion C. Aichberger and Karolina Fetz and Suyi Leong and Heejung S. Kim and David K. Sherman and Tim S. Müller},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357004},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357004},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Discrimination and technology-based disease control
AU  - Marion C. Aichberger
AU  - Karolina Fetz
AU  - Suyi Leong
AU  - Heejung S. Kim
AU  - David K. Sherman
AU  - Tim S. Müller
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/23
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357004
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357004
AB  - Objectives: Experiences of ethnic discrimination may undermine compliance with public mitigation policies for disease control, such as Digital Contact Tracing (DCT), through increasing concerns, undermining trust and decreasing solidarity. Methods: Addressing this issue, we collected a web-based quota sample of the German population (N = 700) in September 2020 focusing on public health strategies aimed to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Results: Using a series of mediation models employing structural equation modelling we indeed find evidence that discrimination experiences, mediated via privacy concerns and trust in government, negatively predict DCT support and DCT opt-in. Our data, however, do not support the mediating role of solidarity. Additionally, we find that among individuals who were not using DCT, discrimination experiences were negatively associated with people’s willingness to participate in DCT in the future. This relationship was mediated by concerns that the government might use DCT against one’s ethnic group. Conclusion: Experiences of ethnic discrimination can decrease the effectiveness of health policies including respondent-driven tools like DCT, as their support depends strongly on the trust in government. Current and future policies should take ethnic minority concerns into account in order to improve their widespread acceptance.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -