Asian Americans Least Likely to Feel They Belong in U.S., Study Finds

Asian Americans — especially young, Asian American women— are the least likely to feel they completely belong and are accepted in the U.S., an annual survey of attitudes about Asian Americans has found.

Why it matters: The broad survey illustrates the anxiety felt by Asian Americans three years after the pandemic generated a wave of anti-Asian violence in the U.S.

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Details: Half of Asian Americans report feeling unsafe in the U.S. due to their race/ethnicity, according to the STAATUS Index (Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S.).

• And only 22% of Asian Americans said they feel they belong and are accepted in the U.S.
• That’s compared to 57% of white respondents, 25% of Latinos and 24% of Black respondents in the survey.

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What they’re saying: “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders overall feel the least likely to truly belong in…our home country,” Norman Chen, TAAF’s CEO, told Axios Today.

• “We’ve learned this year other groups like Hispanic Americans and Black Americans share that deep sense of lack of belonging.”
• Chen says new research this year shows why this lack of belonging exists: Asian Americans report experiencing discrimination and/or hate crimes, at places like work, school, or on public transportation.
• They also don’t see themselves in positions of authority or power across the U.S.

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• Three out of 10 Americans cannot recall a significant Asian American historical event or policy.

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