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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is the D.C.-Baltimore Area the Center of Asian American Conservatism?
he greater D.C. metro area (including Baltimore and Northeastern Virginia) is not only the seat of the national government but the center of the U.S. defense establishment. The contractors and the large intelligence agencies -- most of which are headquartered there -- are easily the biggest employers of the region's affluent science and engineering professionals. An estimated 22% of these technologists are drawn from the 400,000 AA who make up 8% of the region's 5 million residents. This heavy concentration in the defense sector makes the area's Asian Americans not only the nation's most affluent, but also the most politically and socially conservative.
Home of AA Conservatism?
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The Asian influx into the D.C. area is largely a post-Vietnam
War phenomenon. The capitol's small but comely Chinatown on H Street between 6th and 8th boasts about 20 restaurants and a number of shops but they cater mostly to tourists and the lunch-hour crowd. Currently only about 1,000 Chinese live in Washington D.C. -- and that number has been shrinking steadily. Most live in the suburbs of northern Virginia (46,000) and southern Maryland (52,000). The D.C. area hosts only the 10th largest Chinese American population but a high percentage are degreed science and tech professionals with security clearances.
Similar credentials are found among the 110,000 Corean Americans who make up the area's largest Asian nationality. They enjoy access to 53 Corean restaurants, mostly in Annandale, Arlington, and in Aspen Hill in Maryland's Montgomery County. The vast majority of Coreans here are staunchly Republican -- not surprising since their fortunes turn on the dollars allocated to defense spending.
Vietnamese are another Republic-leaning Asian nationality with a heavy D.C.-area presence. Virginia is home to the nation's third largest Vietnamese population (40,000), mostly in the state's northeastern part. Less than half that number make their home in Maryland and D.C. combined. They do manage to support a nascent Little Saigon in Wheaton.
Indians, who received over half the H-1B visas issued to foreign tech workers beginning in 1992, have been drawn by the area's defense sector. In 2001 the 52,000 Indians living in Virginia surpassed Filipinos as that state's most numberous Asian nationality thanks to a 143% increase since 1990. An equally large number of Indians have immigrated to take advantage of Maryland's abundance of science and tech jobs.
Another good indicator of the D.C. area's political conservatism is the relative scarcity of Japanese Americans who have traditionally skewed strongly in favor of democrats. Neither Maryland nor Virginia ranks among states with the top 10 JA populations.
Is the D.C.-Baltimore area really the home of AA conservatism? Or have the more recent waves of young AA newcomers begun embracing the more liberal values of the Clinton era?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 04:38:55 AM)
It's OK in NOVA(northern va) and DC area... The Korean population here is growing every day. There are a good number of Vietnamese people as well... HOWEVER, I wish NOVA/DC had more Asians and places for Asians to just chill in like out in California.
I remember when Asians were looked down upon around the early 90s... Perhaps it has to do with recent immigration patterns/waves. But today, us Asians are affluent, pushing nice cars, and frequenting all the expensive shops. I think that the Hello Kitty/Sanrio phenomenon is blowing up to the non-Asian masses as well...
I hope that there will be a day when NOVA/DC area will become like Cali.
asian in DC area
Wednesday, May 01, 2002 at 12:31:38 (PDT)
BTW, another factor to note is that there are a lot of tech companies, particularly in N.Va. (e.g. AOL), which, in addition to the defense establishment, would also tend to attract many AA engineers and computer types, who generally tend to be on the conservative side.
JJP
Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 14:22:06 (PDT)
This is an intriguing question. I never thought of it this way. I do think that many AA's in this area are more content than AA's in California, possibly for all the reasons that you've stated. That may explain their conservatism, but it's more a "conservatism by default" rather than any strong, ideological conservatism. I think AA's in this area are generally better-educated and more affluent, so they're less likely to feel "oppressed by the Man," especially since so many work for the Man, and gain benefits from doing so.
I personally am somewhat left-of-center in my views, though I may still be considered "conservative" by California standards. At any rate, it's a great area for Asian Americans to live. I'll have to think about this question some more though.
JJP
Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 14:19:39 (PDT)
We are N. VA/DC residents and from our experience with some of our AA friends and family that we personally know, it did not matter to them when voting about anything except which candidate would be more beneficial to them as far as no added taxation of higher income brackets, and any issue relevant to real estate, dependants and taxation.
I actually never heard any of our AA friends or family ask about issues such as how Conservative or Liberal parties feel about issues such as immigration, education, etc.
With our experience, it was all about money.
I definitely think alot of the younger generation of Asian Americans are embracing more liberal values in this area. I have seen more AA faces in the local liberal marches and protests on the square here. I think alot of that depends on if they are ABA or not, and the exposure from college life, which exposes people to more liberal views, vs. the traditional conservative views and values. But conservatism still seems to have the edge, population wise, in our area.
Hannybunbun
Monday, April 22, 2002 at 13:55:39 (PDT)
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