‘No Longer Invisible’ Uncovers Views of State’s Asian Americans

For years, Paul Watanabe, director of the Institute for Asian American Studies at UMass-Boston, would get a version of the same question from policymakers and journalists: What issues do Asian Americans in Massachusetts care about? But there was never a clear answer, no data to point to that showed the political leanings or opinions on policy issues of a wildly diverse group.

Now Watanabe finally has a response. He can point questioners to a recently released report that surveyed the Asian and Pacific Islander American community, asking over 1,400 respondents about their economic concerns, who they voted for in the 2024 election, and their political opinions.

“It’s critical that people in public policy spaces and who are advising the legislature can use the data to make (policies) as effective as possible,” he said.

The report, “No Longer Invisible,” is the first to survey Asians in Massachusetts as a political group and aims to increase visibility for the fastest growing racial group in the state. The report was led by the Institute for Asian American Studies and the Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, and supported by an array of civic organizations (including The Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation and the Asian and Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network). Surveying was conducted in March by MassINC Polling Group.

In a small but well-attended room in the Massachusetts State House this June, Mahashraya Bowen from MassINC walked an audience through survey highlights at the release event “From Data to Action.” While people from an array of ethnicities were surveyed, there were only enough Chinese, Indian, and Vietnamese respondents (at least 100) to pull into the report, she said. In future reports, they hope to increase the level of data disaggregation by ethnicity by reaching out to more participants. Across the board, cost of living and housing affordability were the top concerns, noted by a third of survey respondents and particularly impacting lower income households and those supporting children.

Vietnamese Americans were more likely report difficulty affording basic needs such as housing, healthcare, and car expenses at 36% of respondents, while the same was true of 31% of Chinese and 28% of Indian Americans.

One community member, MiaoQun Zhu, spoke in Cantonese about her trouble with housing costs, while Suzanne Lee, president emeritus of the Chinese Progressive Association, interpreted her words. Zhu related how she pays over $2,000 a month for a two-bedroom apartment she shares with her daughter and new grandchild. At $20.50 an hour she makes a higher wage than her daughter, but the work isn’t steady.

She often struggles to make rent and has to ask for help from family and friends, Zhu said. While she has looked into affordable housing options, there are several hurdles including the long wait list and her desire to live in a neighborhood with access to Chinese groceries. When she first moved to Boston, relatives told her not to apply for government subsidies, because it would appear on her record, and that mentality has been hard to shake. To Massachusetts legislators, she asked, “How can you help me to have a stable life?”

Other community speakers included Evan Owens, a recent graduate from UMass Amherst, who is mixed race and Native Hawaiian, and Chahat Kalia, a member of the AAPI Commission Youth Council. While youth under 18 were not included in the report, Kalia raised challenges faced by AAPI youth, in particular with mental health conditions.

“We want to be included, and our presence makes sure that policies are created with us in mind,” she said after the event, adding that she can’t wait to see future iterations of the survey.

Shubhecchha Dhaurali, Program and Research Director for the AAPI Commission, noted that non-Hawaiian Pacific Islanders were invited as community speakers but declined, stating that they had felt used after similar events in the past.

When it came to political leanings, there was notable variation by ethnicity. While most respondents identified as Democratic, the percentage was highest for Indian Americans at 64%, then Chinese Americans at 55% and Vietnamese Americans at 45%. Despite being the most likely of these groups to identify as Republican, Vietnamese Americans also were most strongly opposed to three executive orders from the Trump administration — ending birthright citizenship, ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and increasing deportations. About half of Indian American respondents were opposed to increasing deportations as compared to 60% of Vietnamese Americans, with Chinese Americans falling in the middle.

“This is data disaggregation in action,” said Somerville Representative Erika Uyterhoeven, one of three Asian state representatives at the event along with representatives Tram Nguyen and Amy Mah Sangiolo. Uyterhoeven noted her surprise that there wasn’t more opposition to deportation, given that the Southeast Asian community is at the forefront of the deportation crisis. “What Trump is doing is unlawful in Massachusetts,” she said, referring to instances of people being taken by immigration officers off the street, as happened to Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Öztürk in March.

All the legislators were inspired by the level of civic participation among Asian communities and hoped to see even more in the future. A total of 80% of eligible voters were registered, and 84% of those voters participated in the 2024 election. Over two thirds of voters cast their ballots for Kamala Harris, higher than her statewide 61% support.

Of note, voter registration was higher among the 39% of respondents who strongly agreed to feeling like they belonged in the United States vs. those who strongly disagreed or were neutral. There was also a significant amount of non-voting political participation, including 19% of respondents who attended a government meeting and 15% who attended campaign speeches or rally events. The report authors noted that forms of civic engagement outside of voting are important for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, many of whom are not United States citizens.

After talking about this project for years, Watanabe pointed to a confluence of factors that finally made it happen. One was the impact of Covid-19 on the Asian American community and the corresponding rise in anti-Asian discrimination, which raised awareness of this group in American politics. The survey highlights how discrimination based on race was strongly tied to feelings of not belonging in the United States. Across all respondents, 21% reported being called a racial or ethnic slur and 23% felt discriminated against based on identity. The majority of discrimination incidents occurred in public spaces or on social media, and were not reported to any organization.

Locally, the election of Boston mayor Michelle Wu and Asian state legislators gave Watanabe more basis to say that Asian Americans need to be listened to. Support from the Asian American Pacific Islander Commission was crucial, he said, to augment funds that his institute raised. Watanabe estimated the cost of the surveying project to be $175,000, with the majority going to MassINC Polling Group.

He hopes that the survey can continue annually or at least bi-annually, while increasing in scope. A goal is to continue expanding data relevant to policies supporting the Asian and Pacific Islander American community in Massachusetts, said executive director of the AAPI Commission, Yasmin Padamsee Forbes, echoing Watanabe’s sentiment in her closing words at the event.

“This survey is not just a product,” she said, “it’s a commitment.”