Topline
A rise in discrimination throughout the coronavirus pandemic has left a majority of Asian Americans feeling unsafe in public, according to an AP-NORC poll published Wednesday morning.
Bok Lim Kim holds up a Korean and American flag during a rally against anti-Asian American and ... [+]
Key Facts
A vast majority (71%) of Asian American respondents said they feel anti-Asian discrimination has surged over the past year, the survey of 1,800 adults by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found.
Some 67% of these respondents are either “extremely” or “very” concerned that the coronavirus pandemic has fueled new violence against Asian Americans, while another 17% are “somewhat” concerned by the trend.
More than half (57%) of the Asian Americans surveyed said they now feel unsafe in public because of their race or identity either “often” or “sometimes.”
The only group reporting more safety concerns were Black Americans, with 63% saying they don’t feel safe in public at least sometimes.
This compares to 44% of Hispanic Americans and 16% of white Americans who said they feel the same.
Surprising Fact
Both Blacks and Asian Americans reported feeling high levels of discrimination when applying for jobs, housing or loans, and in stores or shopping malls.
Key Background
National leaders have sounded the alarm about a rise in racially motivated attacks against Asian Americans. More than 6,600 anti-Asian hate incidents have been recorded over the past year, according to the nonprofit STOP AAPI Hate, with encounters ranging from verbal to physical attacks. Meanwhile, the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism found hate crimes rose 145% in the U.S.’s biggest cities in 2020 compared to the year prior, despite hate crimes declining 6% overall. President Biden last week signed legislation aimed at addressing this trend by easing the process of reporting hate crimes on local and state levels, boosting public outreach and expediting the Department of Justice’s review of these cases.
Tangent
The Anti-Defamation League, a non-profit tracking hate, has pinned blame on former President Donald Trump for a rise in online hate and harassment against Asian Americans. Trump repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as the “China virus,” the “China plague” or “kung flu,” fueling the spread of racial slurs online.
Chief Critic
“The spike in physical violence against Asian Americans across the nation was whipped up in large part by bigotry and conspiracy theories that grew online, fanned by national leaders, including former President Trump’s incendiary rhetoric,” a March report from the ADL read.
Further Reading
“‘Severe’ Online Hate Against Asian Americans Spiked This Year, Survey Shows” (Forbes)
