About 1 in 5 Asian Americans Hide Their Heritage From Non-Asians
Nicole Chavez, CNN, May 8, 2023
An estimated 1 in 5 Asian Americans in the US have hidden details about their heritage from people who are not Asian, a new report shows.
Some of the details that Asian Americans choose not to share include ethnic food or clothing as well as cultural and religious practices, the Pew Research Center said in the report released Monday.
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When asked why they had hidden some aspects of their culture, Asian Americans mentioned a number of reasons from “fear of being embarrassed to wanting to avoid awkward questions or having to explain themselves, and even concern of potential discrimination,” the Pew report said.
Their responses also varied based on their age, ethnicity and place of birth. About 30% of Asians born in the US have hidden their culture, compared with 15% of Asian immigrants, the report shows.
Younger Asian adults were more likely to hide their culture. About 39% of Asians of ages 18 to 29 said they have done it, compared with 5% of Asians who are 65 and older, the report says.
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Respondents indicated their friendships vary depending on where they were born. Overall, half of Asian Americans said all or most of their friends in the US are Asian but only 38% of those who were born in the US said the same.
