STATEWIDE POLL REVEALS MULTI-ETHNIC VIEWS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
CALIFORNIANS ARE MORE AWARE OF ANTI-ASIAN DISCRIMINATION; ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS SHOW HOPE DESPITE COVID-19 SAFETY CONCERNS AND ANTI-ASIAN HATE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Farrah Su
Marketing and Communications Manager
Phone: (323) 388-5521
Email: farrah@causeusa.org
Los Angeles, CA May 7, 2021-- The Asian Pacific American community in California has been experiencing both the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and an increase of anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents for the past 14 months. With over 3,800 incidents reported since the start of the pandemic, incidents of violence towards the community continue to surface across the country.
The poll indicates that the Asian Pacific American (APA) community is the most worried of any ethnic group of being victims of physical violence (73%) and being verbally abused, mocked or harassed in public (68%). Likely related to this concern, the APA community is the most worried about their children being bullied or harassed at school because of their race and ethnicity (72%). The African American community has the next highest concern regarding all three: physical violence (61%), verbal abuse (57%), and children being bullied (70%). These concerns may be factors for both APA and African American respondents' feeling the least comfortable with returning to in-person classes at 54%.
“3 out of 4 APAs in California are afraid that they will get Covid-19, that they will be physically hurt, that they will be verbally abused, and that their children will be bullied,” says Charlie Woo, Board Chair of CAUSE. “The government and education community must take measures to address all of these concerns. It is important that we find solutions that will help our communities feel safe.
Based on the most recent statewide poll conducted by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE), Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, and the Los Angeles Urban League, with special coverage from the Los Angeles Times, the APA community is the most worried about being the victim of physical violence and verbal abuse in public and continues to have Covid-19 concerns while being the most willing to receive the vaccine. However, they continue to be most optimistic of being accepted in America in the future.
This multi-ethnic statewide poll is the fourth in a series that began in February 2020, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder. It was conducted from April 16 to April 29, 2021 and explores diverse reactions to Governor Newsom, the continued impact of Covid-19 across communities, openness to Covid-19 vaccination, sentiments around immigration and voter participation, and race relations both locally and nationally.
A MAJORITY OF CALIFORNIAN APAS ARE WORRIED ABOUT BEING VICTIMS OF ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIMES, IN ADDITION TO HAVING THE HIGHEST COVID-19 CONCERNS.
The poll reveals that when asked whether they were worried about getting Covid-19 (personally/immediate family), APAs concern was second highest (73%) compared to Latino respondents (76%), followed by African Americans (63%) and White respondents (57%). This concern remains for the APA community despite the fact that 63% had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 25% indicated that they would get the vaccine when available. This shows that APAs are the most receptive to vaccination among all ethnic groups at a total of 88%, compared to Californians overall at 72%.
CALIFORNIAN’S AWARENESS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST APAS INCREASED THE MOST SINCE FEBRUARY 2020.
The general public has become increasingly aware of the racial discrimination APAs have faced. 70% of Californians believe APAs are frequently or sometimes discriminated against, an increase of 15% from the February 2020 Survey. This double-digit increase in awareness appeared across all respondent groups as well, including APAs. Simultaneously, APAs have also become more aware of discrimination against African American and Latino communities. Compared to February 2020, 80% of APAs feel African Americans face discrimination and 73% feel Latinos face discrimination, an 8% and 11% increase, respectively.
CALIFORNIAN APAS REMAIN RESILIENT AND HOPEFUL OVERALL BUT DATA REVEALS YOUNGER APAS FEEL LESS OPTIMISTIC THAN THEIR OLDER COUNTERPARTS.
Despite the unprecedented challenges the past 14 months, 64% of APAs feel that people who share their background, values, and culture will become more common and more accepted in America in the future. Although this is a drop from the 71% in February 2020, it still remains the highest among all groups with the Latino community at 62%. However, when breaking down the data even further, the data reveals that the younger generation of APAs feel less optimistic. 58% of younger APAs feel that they would be more accepted, as compared to 75% of those older.
Nancy Yap, Executive Director of CAUSE states, “The increase in awareness of the discrimination faced by APA communities gives us an opportunity to combat the root of these incidents of hate. We believe that cross-cultural dialogues and education programs, like CAUSE’s programs, will improve race relations in California and create opportunities to build solutions together.”
About CAUSE
Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan, community-based organization with a mission to advance the political empowerment of the Asian Pacific American community through nonpartisan voter outreach, training, and education as well as leadership development.
Since its founding in 1993, CAUSE has led efforts to drive APA civic engagement, from facilitating in-language Get Out The Vote workshops in the Greater Los Angeles Area to hosting the first-ever APA-facing gubernatorial debate in California history in 2018. CAUSE plans to continue efforts to mobilize the community by providing the knowledge, access, and network to inspire APAs of all ages to voice their vote.
For further inquiries, please contact us by phone at (213) 269-4639 or email at info@causeusa.org. General information can be found on our website at www.causeusa.org.
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