July 23, 2021 EXPO 2021 Poster

Attributing Blame During the Coronavirus Pandemic

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.22.6″][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title author=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.23.3″ title_font=”Standard||||||||” title_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font_size=”61px” title_line_height=”1.3em” meta_font=”Standard2||||||||” meta_text_color=”#ffffff” background_color=”#000000″ custom_padding=”||60px” title_font_size_tablet=”39px” title_font_size_phone=”28px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”][/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23.3″ max_width=”1221px”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_image src=”https://thenurj.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IMG_8881-Alka-Meresh.jpeg” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|phone” module_id=”circle-image” _builder_version=”3.23.3″ width=”40%” width_tablet=”26%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Standard2||||||||” text_font_size=”27px” min_height=”40px” custom_padding=”18px||”]Alka Meresh[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ inline_fonts=”Times New Roman”]

Adviser: Dr. Lilah Shapiro
Subject: Social Sciences
DOI: 10.21985/n2-23kq-fq18

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Alka Meresh graduated from Northwestern University in 2021 with a double major in Social Policy and Global Health Studies and a minor in Psychology. She previously took a Research Methods course within the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) and qualified for her current project through the SESP Honors Research Thesis program. In her first Research Methods course she gained experience formulating a research question, interviewing participants, transcribing the interviews, writing analytical memos, and coding her data. Alka also volunteered at the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District in 2017 and co- authored the article “An Operational Evaluation of 3 Methoprene Larvicide Formulations for Use Against Mosquitoes in Catch Basins.” The article was published in the Environmental Health Insights journal.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Standard2|600|||||||” text_font_size=”25px”]Abstract[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23.3″ text_font=”Times New Roman||||||||” text_font_size=”19px” text_line_height=”1.5em”]The global coronavirus pandemic has dramatically changed the way people and institutions interact with one another. In the United States, there has been an observable and documented increase in xenophobia and a breakdown of social and institutional trust. Consistent with a US history of scapegoating other populations for major crises, the US government primarily blamed China for the origin and spread of the virus. These actions have been discussed in a variety of forums with emerging interest in empirically examining people’s interpretations and understandings of the pandemic. The current project contributes to emerging work by examining the ways in which individual people attribute and form their concepts of blame about and during the pandemic. I interviewed 12 Northwestern University undergraduate students and asked questions about who they blame and why. The data were subjected to grounded analysis and coded for common themes. The analyses provide insight into how narratives of blame are developed and disseminated to the public, and are consumed by the public. This work could have broader societal implications, such as being used to improve health campaigns or support programs designed to rebuild social and institutional trust. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.23.3″][/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.23.3″][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.23.3″][/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]