Key Takeaways
Understanding how people view Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) continues to be crucial to building a world where AANHPIs are safe, feel belonging and have pathways to prosperity. The STAATUS Index is the only nationally representative survey that reveals sources of influences on perceptions about the AANHPI community and how harmful stereotypes may persist and evolve over the years.
We surveyed 6,272 Americans across the country to uncover the most pressing issues AANHPIs are facing today. Key results include:
Americans don’t think hate toward Asian Americans has increased, but Asian Americans disagree.
Only one-third of Americans think hate towards Asian Americans has increased. Perceptions that Asian Americans are treated fairly in the US have risen steadily since 2021.
Meanwhile, over the past 12 months: 32% of Asian Americans say they were called a slur, and 29% say they were verbally harassed or verbally abused.
The numbers are even higher for some subgroups. For example, Southeast Asian Americans report higher incidences of being called a racial slur (40%), verbal harassment or abuse (38%), and threats of physical assault (22%) over the last 12 months.
41% of Asian Americans think they are likely to be the victim of a physical attack and 59% of Asians Americans think it is at least somewhat likely that they will be a victim of discrimination in the next 5 years because of their race, ethnicity, or religion.
Because of discrimination, violence, and lack of representation, only 38% of Asian Americans completely agree they belong, and even fewer feel they are fully accepted.
Asian Americans are least likely to feel strongly that they belong, and also least likely to feel that they are accepted for their racial identity in the US.
38% of Asian Americans completely agree that they belong, while only 18% completely agree that they are accepted in the U.S. for their racial identity.
For Asian Americans who feel they aren’t fully accepted or don’t fully belong in the U.S., social media (34%), and workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools/colleges/universities (all 31%) feel the least welcoming.
For Asian Americans who don’t feel they belong or are accepted, 60% pointed to previous experiences of discrimination and/or violence and 37% said they don’t see people like them in positions of power.
We need to break the “STAATUS quo” and it is our responsibility to advocate for and celebrate AANHPI stories beyond Heritage Month.
A majority of Americans (55%) are unable to name a single event or policy related to Asian Americans.
Four years after this original finding made waves, more than half of all Americans (52%) still can’t name a famous Asian American. When people are named, Jackie Chan (9%) (who is not American), Bruce Lee (5%) (who died over 50 years ago), and Kamala Harris (2%) are the most common responses.
Half of Americans (50%) can’t name a favorite movie with an Asian American character, but Americans want to see more Asian Americans in dramas (59%) and comedies (60%).
The top 3 ideas for decreasing racism are to teach the history of Asian Americans in K-12 schools and colleges (41%), increase visibility of Asian Americans in American society (41%), and provide more opportunities to interact with Asian Americans (39%).