U.S. stereotypes of Asian Americans as a “model minority” and “forever foreigner” fuel discrimination, according to a report released by the Pew Research Center on November 30.
More than half of Asian Americans (57%) say discrimination is a significant problem in the U.S. Many respondents (63%) also say “too little attention” is given to the racial issues that affect their lives.
Anti-Asian discrimination is not new, but an increase in incidents during the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 prompted a national conversation.
“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 Sept. 11, 2001, most Asian Americans have faced discrimination and exclusion while being treated as foreigners throughout their long history in the United States,” Neil G. Ruiz, Head of New Research Initiatives, Carolyne Im, research assistant and Ziyao Tian, research associate, write.
More than three-quarters (78%) of Asian Americans surveyed say they have been “treated as a foreigner”— even if they are U.S. citizens. Respondents say during encounters with strangers, they have been told to “go back to their home country” and are maligned for speaking a language other than English. The report also found that Asian adults who grew up in the U.S. were more likely to experience discrimination than those who immigrated to the country.
More than half (63%) of the Asian Americans polled say that strangers assume they are good at math and science. This is a part of the “model minority” stereotype and discussions about meritocracy and affirmative action. But less than half (44%) have heard of the label.
Asian adults experience daily discrimination that includes poor treatment at restaurants (40%), being subjected to derogatory name-calling (37%) and being “stopped, searched or questioned” by police because of race (11%). Still, many respondents (68%) say they “rarely or never” share these challenges with their family.
To read the full report, click here.
Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.
