Low-status groups are less likely scapegoats because they seem incompetent.

Evidence

In contrast, low-status groups – whether paternalized (see Jackman, ch. 6 this volume; Rudman, ch. 7 this volume) or treated with contempt – are stereotyped as incompetent, suggesting less ability and power to cause widespread misfortunes, making them less likely to be chosen as scapegoats. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1586

Categorization

• XREF: Directly inverts the common folk assumption that society’s most defenseless members are its usual scapegoats; relevant to how blame lands on the competent-but-envied rather than the weak. — connects to: Low-status groups elicit contempt but still receive less pure derogation than other outgroups. — Susan T. Fiske et al., A Model of (Often Mixed) Stereotype…, 191