| Summary: | Recent research has extensively investigated how the current COVID-19 pandemic can affect
intergroup relations. Much less is known about the impact of COVID-19 on economic and trade
decisions. Could the intergroup effects of this pandemic shape support for international economic
policies? The aim of this study was to examine the support for restrictive economic policies towards
countries with very high levels of COVID-19 contamination (China and Italy) during the first
lockdown period (March - April 2020). The survey was conducted in Romania (N = 669) and included
measures of COVID-19 vulnerability, prejudice, and support for economic restrictive policy (e.g., to
reduce international trade; to set higher taxes). Results showed that higher support for restrictive
policies toward China was associated with greater perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 and this link
was partially mediated by prejudice toward China. In contrast, support for economic restrictive
policies toward Italy was greater when perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 was high, but this
relationship between variables was not explained by negative attitudes towards Italy. Practical and
theoretical implications are discussed.
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