National Survey Data Shows Nearly 3 Out Of Every 4 Chinese Americans Have Experienced Racial Discrimination In The Past 12 Months

New York, NY (April 27, 2023) – Columbia University’s School of Social Work, one of the world’s leading research universities, and Committee of 100, a non-profit membership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, today announced the results from a year-long research project and survey that looked at the health, economic, and sociopolitical conditions of today’s Chinese American population.
Racism against Chinese Americans continues. While the overwhelming majority of Chinese Americans see themselves as an accepted part of American society, culturally blended between American and Chinese traditions, they are also marginalized. They have experienced discrimination in their daily lives with:

• Nearly 3 out of 4 (74%) Chinese Americans having experienced racial discrimination in the past 12 months;
• 55% worrying about their safety relating to hate crimes or harassment;
• 9% having been physically intimidated/assaulted and 7% having had property vandalized/damaged;
• Nearly half of the survey respondents (46%) reported being treated with less respect than other people at least a few times in the past 12 months;
• 1 in 5 reported that people made a racial slur, called them a name, or harassed them in person or online at least a few times in the past 12 months.

Additional Survey Findings 

• Nearly 40% reported speaking two or more languages at home, with 80% being English proficient;
• Over half of the sample were born in Mainland China and over a quarter (27%) were born in the U.S., but the percentages of those who specified Mainland China and the United States as a place of upbringing were similar (44% and 41%);
• 79% viewed current U.S.-China relations as negative, and negativity grew with increasing educational attainment.

To read the executive summary and view the data slides, click here.