This is a normal phenomenon, because people become internally focused when things get bad. Family comes first, then friends, then country men, and screw everyone else. Look at Europe right now, the countries that have a bad economy, France and the UK, want to limit immigration, including from Eastern Europe. But Germany which has a good economy is more open to immigrants.
From what I’ve read, the study used photos to determine if there was a preference for one group over another. This method will automatically lead to claims of “racism,” because the only way to identify an outsider from photos is by visual characteristics, like hair, facial features, and skin color. It would be interesting to use voices instead, and see if race mattered as much, or if it was the accents that mattered more.
Scientists generally says that common sense/theories always need to be scientifically proven in order to be taken seriously. But when a study is used to boost one idea, in this case dislike of different skin color, it can lead to simplification of the overall theme. Even though it can lead to great headlines, it can also lead to great misunderstandings.