At least 25% reported workplace and housing discrimination.
Results from an NPR poll have revealed shocking statistics about Asian Americans experiencing discrimination.
The NPR survey was conducted between 26 January 2017 to 9 April 2017. 3,453 adults aged 18 or older were surveyed through the telephone. It included nationally representative samples of African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans and white Americans; men and women; and LGBTQ adults.
‘Southeast Asian American’ included respondents whose families are Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian or Malaysian. ‘Chinese Americans’ referred to Asian-Americans of Chinese heritage, but not those who identified as Taiwanese.
The poll was a collaboration among NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“Our poll shows that Asian-American families have the highest average income among the groups we’ve surveyed, and yet the poll still finds that Asian-Americans experience persistent discrimination in housing, jobs and at college,” says Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard Chan School who co-directed the survey.
“Over the course of our series, we are seeing again and again that income is not a shield from discrimination.”
Data from the poll suggested that 27% experienced discrimination in applying for jobs and 25% when trying to rent or buy housing. 25% also reported discrimination in being paid or promoted equally.
More nonimmigrant Asian-Americans reported experiencing individual discrimination due to their race. 36% of nonimmigrant Asian-Americans experienced threats or nonsexual harassment and 20% experienced violence.
However, immigrant Asian-Americans reported more discrimination when visiting the doctor, as did Asian-American women on the whole.
Insensitive or offensive comments were experienced the most by Asian-Americans, with slurs not being too far behind. Interestingly, the poll found that Indian Americans were almost 9 times more likely to report unfair police stops or treatment than Chinese Americans. All Asian Americans were 6 times more likely to report such incidents than Chinese Americans.
For Asian American people in America, 68% believed that the biggest problem they face is discrimination based on the prejudice of other people, rather than institutional discrimination.