iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Racial discrimination against Asian Americans continues unabated in the US. A new Pew Research Center (PRC) report has highlighted this social malevolence – 78% of Asian adults have been discriminated against as a foreigner in some way, even if they are U.S.-born.
The PRC analysis was based on a survey involving 7,006 Asian adults. The Pew report states that 57% perceive discrimination against Asians in the U.S. as a major problem, while 63% believe insufficient attention is given to race and racial issues concerning Asian Americans.
“The spike in incidents of anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked national conversations about race and racial discrimination concerning Asian Americans. But, discrimination against Asian Americans is not new. From the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act to denial of the right to become naturalized U.S. citizens until the 1940s, to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, to backlash against Muslims, Sikhs, and South Asians after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, most Asian Americans have faced discrimination and exclusion while being treated as foreigners throughout their long history in the United States,” states the PRS report by Pew researchers Neil G. Ruiz, Carolyne Im and Ziyao Tian.
The survey indicates that Asian Americans face multifaceted discrimination that includes being treated as a foreigner, the burden of the model minority stereotype, and other incidents based on their race or ethnicity.
“Many Asian Americans are treated as a foreigner, no matter their birthplace, citizenship status, or strength of their ties to the U.S. U.S.-born Asians are as likely as foreign-born Asians to be treated as a foreigner in their day-to-day encounters with strangers in the U.S. 70% of immigrants and 62% of U.S.-born Asian adults say people have mispronounced their name; 41% of immigrants and 34% of U.S.-born adults say people have acted as if they don’t speak English; 31% of immigrants and 35% of U.S.-born adults say someone has told them to go back to their home country; among those who can speak their Asian origin language, 22% of immigrants and 19% of U.S.-born adults say someone has criticized them for speaking a non-English language in public,” the PRS report says.
These experiences persist even among Asian adults whose families have lived in the U.S. for multiple generations. The survey by Pew has revealed that 37% of second-generation Asian adults (the U.S.-born children of immigrant parents) say someone has told them to go back to their home country, compared with 26% of first-generation Asian adults (those who immigrated to the U.S. as adults). “Whether or not immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens, many say that they are still being treated as a foreigner. In some cases, higher shares of citizens than noncitizens say these incidents have happened to them – 34% of Asian immigrants who are naturalized U.S. citizens say someone has told them to go back to their home country, compared with 26% of Asian immigrants who have not obtained citizenship,” the Pew survey has revealed.
Experiences with other daily and race-based discrimination incidents are also quite stark among Asian Americans. The report states that 40% of Asian adults say they have received poorer service than other people at restaurants and stores. More than four in ten Asian adults who have a bachelor’s degree or more say they have had this experience, compared with about one-third with some college experience or less. “37% of Asian adults say in day-to-day encounters with strangers, they have been called offensive names. About six in ten U.S.-born Asian adults (57%) say this, compared with 30% of Asian immigrants. 11% of Asian adults say have been stopped, searched, or questioned by the police because of their race or ethnicity. Responses differ by how others perceive their racial or ethnic identity. Asian adults who are perceived as non-Asian and non-White (which includes those who say they are perceived as “mixed race or multiracial” or “Arab or Middle Eastern,” among others) are more likely to say they have had this experience, compared with those who are perceived as Asian or Chinese.”
Key findings of the survey:
- 78% of Asian adults have been treated as a foreigner in some way, even if they are U.S.-born. This includes Asian adults who say that in day-to-day encounters with strangers in the U.S., someone has told them to go back to their home country, acted like they can’t speak English, criticized them for speaking a language other than English in public, or mispronounced their name.
- 63% of Asian adults have experienced incidents where people assume they are a model minority. This includes Asian Americans who say that in day-to-day encounters with strangers in the U.S., people have assumed that they are good at math and science or that they are not creative thinkers.
- 35% of South Asian adults say they have been held back at a security checkpoint for a secondary screening because of their race or ethnicity. This is higher than the shares among Southeast (15%) and East (14%) Asian adults.6 Additionally, Asian American Muslims are more likely than some other major religious groups to say this has happened to them.
- 32% of Asian adults say they know another Asian person in the U.S. who has been threatened or attacked because of their race or ethnicity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across regional origin groups, about one-third of East (36%) and Southeast (33%) Asian adults say they know someone with this experience, as do 24% of South Asian adults.
- In many cases, Asian adults who grew up in the U.S. are more likely than those who immigrated as adults to say they have experienced discrimination incidents. For example, about half or more of U.S.-born Asian adults and immigrants who came to the U.S. as children (1.5 generation) say they have been called offensive names in daily interactions with strangers, compared with 20% of those who immigrated as adults (first generation).7 This could be for a number of reasons, including recognizing discrimination more than other Asian adults, having more non-Asian friends, or being racialized in America during adolescence.8
- 68% of Asian adults who grew up in the U.S. say they rarely or never talked with family about the challenges they might face because of their race or ethnicity when growing up.9 Meanwhile, 31% say their family sometimes or often discussed it.
