What It Means to ‘Be American,’ Bias Against Asians, Tackled in New Report

Is being born in the U.S. important to being “truly American”? What about being “white”?

Half of American adults say yes to the first question, and a concerning 13% of U.S. adults yes to the second question, a report released by The Asian American Foundation finds.

Yet, most Asian American and Pacific Islander adults polled reject both these notions.

These were among some of the key findings of the TAAF report, which included polling conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The recent report looked into American adults’ perceptions toward the AAPI community in everyday lives, including AAPI’s cultural influence, feeling of safety in public spaces and common misconceptions.

Some of the report’s other findings revealed that:

· 20% of U.S. adults are concerned that Chinese Americans pose “a threat” to U.S. society

· AAPIs are the only racial or ethnic group where worry (44%) outweighs hope (40%)

· 20% of AAPI adults report being harassed, threatened, or insulted because of their race or ethnicity in the last 12 months

Biases among the adult population remain, found the report, despite the Asian population more than doubling in the past two decades. AAPIs now make up 7% of the U.S. population as of 2023. Immigrants still outnumber U.S.-born Asian Americans, though both have increased significantly over this period: Out of every three Asian American adults, two were born outside of the U.S., according to Pew Research Center. The TAAF report noted that when asked whether being born in the U.S., being white or being Christian are tied to American identity, the AAPI community overwhelmingly feels that these factors are not important.

Lack of Connections

The report also found that despite that rapid increase in the AAPI population in the U.S., a sizeable number of non-Asian people — about one in five ­— lack direct contact with Asian Americans in their daily lives, which could influence how Asian Americans are perceived by others.

Sruthi Chandrasekaran, director of Data and Research at TAAF, said that this report has reflected AAPI’s lack of visibility. Nearly half of survey respondents say AAPIs have little or no influence on American culture. The survey also found that one in every four American adults knows no Asian friends, neighbors or coworkers.

Yet at the same time, the growth in online media introducing Asian Americans’ lived experiences has lowered the barriers between communities, Peter Kiang, director of the Asian American Studies program at the University of Massachusetts, told the Sampan.

Americans now find an increase in better-balanced imagery of Asian Americans in the media, and younger generations are starting to get used to Asian pop cultures.

But real-life interactions can’t be replaced by those on the screen, said Kiang, who was not a part of the TAAF report.

“There is a price that you pay if your world is shaped only by online content,” said Kiang. “So having direct interpersonal interaction and immersive experiential opportunities to really engage with people directly is still very important.”

Having been teaching the Asian American Studies program for 40 years, Kiang believes that it is a valuable investment in students, Asians and non-Asians, many of whom come from the Massachusetts area. Many class activities challenge Asian students to reflect on their experiences, creating an environment where they feel comfortable communicating with their peers. On the other hand, non-Asian students, especially those from other immigrant backgrounds, usually find themselves relating to the isolation that Asian Americans can go through.

Harmful Ignorance

One in five AAPI adults report being harassed or insulted because of their race in the last 12 months, the survey found. These incidents include being called an offensive name or being physically attacked. AAPIs are most likely to feel unsafe on public transportation and in online spaces like social media.

For Peter Kiang, persistent anti-Asian violence is the result of the “consistently weak and limited” education about Asian Americans available for the public, despite the tremendous growth in the Asian American population.

Kiang cited a surge in anti-Asian hate crime during the Covid-19 pandemic, “it was as if a switch turned on.” He thinks that the lack of historical understanding easily gave space to hostility and disrespect toward Asian Americans.

Workplace Stereotypes Persist

Asian Americans, according to the report, are found more likely to be perceived as reliable workers instead of being assertive leaders at their workplace. Some try to be an exception to these perceptions.

On a June afternoon at Boston’s Asian Food Festival, Apple Tomamichel was busy checking in with food vendors and performers, making sure that the event ran smoothly. A Thai immigrant, Tomamichel has worked her way up from a food service worker at schools and hospitals to an event planner overseeing dozens of food businesses. She is used to working hard to prove that she is a good leader to coworkers who don’t look like her.

“When I walk in, they are like ‘is this lady literally gonna be my boss?’ But I show them how good I am,” said Tomamichel.

Some Asian Americans say certain characteristics they are associated with may exist, but they hope their coworkers have a broader understanding of Asian culture’s impact.

For Carina Wang, whose parents are Chinese immigrants, her personality being less straightforward makes her “sometimes like a bad communicator” when her colleagues tend to be more direct. “It is really just something ingrained in you culturally.”

“It is hard for you to get the bigger picture,” Wang added, hoping people are “a little more open-minded, and not immediately believing the stereotypes that you grow up hearing about.”