The majority of Asian Americans living in New York City are changing aspects of their lives to avoid being targeted by anti-Asian incidents, according to new research released Thursday.
A survey conducted by the nonprofit Asian American Foundation found that three-quarters of Asian Americans in the city engage in at least one “avoidance behavior,” such as not taking public transportation or not speaking in their native language. It turned out that he had taken the following. Young Asian Americans are more likely to say they have adapted their behavior.
“Young Asian Americans, many of whom are growing up here in the United States, have the language and cultural skills to adapt and become ‘more mainstream.’ They feel they need to do so to avoid bullying and other attacks at school,” said Norman Chen, the group’s CEO. “In the short term, perhaps it will save them from potential violence and attacks, but in the long term it will dehumanize them. We need to find better solutions.” There is.”
For the study, TAAF researchers surveyed 1,000 New York City-based Asian Americans ages 16 and older from November 30 to December 19, 2023, on the topic of public safety. A survey was conducted. The survey was conducted by phone and online in English, Chinese, and English. Korean and Bangla.
Researchers found that during this period, 36% of respondents feared being verbally or physically attacked because of their race, and 48% avoided going out late at night and reported doing so. They found that the proportion among women was even higher. 41 percent of Asian American New Yorkers also refrained from using public transportation.
“It has a huge impact on people’s mental health, their lives and their work,” Chen said. “That’s very worrying.”
The report also found that 17% of Asian Americans living in New York City said they refrain from speaking their native language in public.
“The fact that we have to be constantly on guard when we’re outdoors, hiding our culture, hiding our identity, maybe not speaking the language we want to speak, is a real threat to our community. It’s a setback,” Chen said.
The survey found that public safety is the biggest issue for Asian American New Yorkers, with 78% of respondents saying it was a “big problem” or “somewhat a problem.” When asked about their experiences with anti-Asian hate incidents, defined as insults, harassment, threats, or physical attacks, about half of survey respondents said they expected to be targeted in 2023 because of their race or ethnicity. answered. And one in five reported experiencing a physical attack or assault that year. However, this also includes attacks that are not necessarily reported as crimes.
“The fact that people perceive this crisis to have subsided actually trivializes the fact that anti-Asian hate and violence is still rampant in the city,” Chen said.
TAAF’s report marks a departure from the dramatic downward trend seen in crime data against Asian Americans collected by the New York City Police Department. According to NYPD data, there were 82 hate crimes against Asian Americans in 2022, and the following year, that number was nearly halved to 45.
Sruthi Chandrasekaran, TAAF’s director of data and research, said this disparity is likely due in part to the way the NYPD records crimes, which, unlike incidents, have high standards to meet. stated that it is necessary to meet the requirements. The higher numbers may also have been due to the study being conducted in multiple languages and targeting harder-to-reach populations, such as older New Yorkers, immigrants, and first-generation Asian Americans. she said.
Additionally, many Asian Americans feel uncomfortable reporting their experiences, Chandrasekaran said, noting that 54% of respondents have not reported it to “anyone.”
“Asian Americans may also feel that what is happening to them is an isolated incident. They see and hear anti-Asian hate directed at them and others in their communities. may have been more motivated to report during COVID-19 because of the “Over time, this issue may receive less attention and people, including Asian Americans themselves, may begin to think this is an isolated incident and does not need to be reported.”
