While the Asian population in the United States continues to grow, only one in three Asian Americans reported feeling a sense of belonging in American society.
According to a survey of 6,272 adults nationwide from January to March by the Asian American Federation (AAF), only 38% of Asians feel a sense of belonging in American society, the lowest percentage of any race. Of those, only 18% felt “completely belonging”. By race, Whites (70%) have the highest rate of belonging in American society, followed by Hispanics (51%) and Blacks (44%).
The report cites pervasive racism and violence as reasons for these findings. When asked why, 6 in 10 Asian Americans (60%) said it’s because they have experienced racism. This is the second-highest rate of any race, after Blacks (72%), with 58% of Hispanics and 28% of Whites having experienced racism. Thirty-seven percent of Asians cited “not seeing people of my race in positions of authority” as a reason, and 32% explained that it was because they “have values that are different from other races.”
In the past year, 32% of Asian Americans say they have heard racial slurs, 29% have been verbally harassed or verbally abused, 14% have been physically attacked, and 19% have been cyberbullied. In addition, 61% of Asian Americans feel that hatred toward Asian groups has increased in the past year.
More than half (57%) of Asian Americans also reported feeling unsafe or anxious about racism on social media, near home, at work, or school. The highest percentage (18%) of respondents felt unsafe on social media, followed by 16% feeling unsafe near home, 15% at work, and 15% at school.
The majority of respondents cited “improving education” as a solution to such discrimination. Forty-one percent of respondents said that “including Asian American history curriculum in K-12 curricula” would be the best way to reduce discrimination, another 41% said that “increasing the visibility of Asian Americans in American society, such as more Asian-fronted television shows,” and 39% said that “providing more opportunities to interact with Asian Americans” would be a solution.
BY JIHYE YOON, HOONSIK WOO [yoon.jihye@koreadailyny.com]
