Survey Shows Rise of Anti-Asian Feelings — and Cause for Optimism
By Romen Basu Borsellino | 02 May, 2025

A new finding on the share of US adults feeling threatened by Asian Americans is likely to promote Asian American cohesion.

More than a quarter of US adults view Chinese Americans as a threat, according to an online survey of nearly 5,000 respondents conducted by Social Tracking Asian Americans of the United States (STAATUS). 

The survey found that the Asian American community is, by and large, feeling a lack of acceptance and belonging in this country, with 63% having felt unsafe. On the other hand,  48% of Americans feel that the AAPI community is being treated perfectly fairly, an all time high for this survey. 

While these findings of course paint a picture of broad-based bigotry in this country, there remain reasons for optimism. Let’s take a look at both the bad and the good. 

The Bad

Hate against Asian Americans is alive and well in the United States, and it’s heading in the wrong direction. The finding that 27% of US adults feel threatened by Chinese Americans is up from 21% a year ago. The majority of people who feel threatened are pointing to national security as their justification, which may be unsurprising given an onslaught of references to “the Wuhan flu” and “the China virus” the began in 2020.

These pandemic-related sentiments have been compounded by tech and business concerns in recent years. In 2024, Congress passed a bipartisan (yet to be enforced) bill banning Chinese-owned TikTok on the grounds that it posed a national security threat. 

Sadly, but unsurprisingly, these national security fears are nothing new. During World War II, President Roosevelt famously placed 120,000 Japanese families in internment camps, an action that only 44% of Americans oppose to this day, according to the survey.

To be clear, the US may very well face certain national security threats from the Chinese government, or any government for that matter. But legitimate concerns turn to xenophobia when they are projected onto every day Asian Americans. 

Additionally, be it a cause or a result of anti-Asian American sentiments, 1 in 4 Americans have no primary relationship — like a friend, co-worker, or neighbor — with an Asian American.

At a moment when Islamophobia, antisemitism, and racism against Black, Hispanics, and other minority groups seem to dominate headlines, this survey finds that the AAPI community is no exception. 

The Good

There is a bright light — or Asian glow, if you will — to all of this. 

The othering that Asian Americans are experiencing is evidence that our cultural identities are alive and well. Underlying the fear and hatred towards us is evidence of cohesion among Asian Americans. Our strength in numbers contributes to the perceived threat.

Yes, complete and total assimilation to American culture would likely make us less threatening. We could begin wearing entirely western clothes and adopting entirely western diets. We could work to rid ourselves of accents and refrain from congregating together. But to do so would, of course, be a tremendous loss, not just to us, but to those who might very well benefit from giving our culture a try. 

Any one of us would be more than justified in the belief that educating people against intolerance towards us should not be our responsibility.  But fortunately there is a desire by the general public to continue learning. 

The survey found that 41% of Americans support legislation that requires teaching Asian American history in schools. Numerous other initiatives have received various support, like investing tax dollars towards fighting anti-Asian discrimination and donating to nonprofits that support Asian American communities. In total, 78% of respondents showed support for at least one of these ideas.

The Bottom Line

While some of this survey’s results may feel contradictory, we can safely conclude that anti-AAPI sentiments are a problem in this country. At the same time, there is reason to believe that Asian Americans have built a strong community. Should the rest of the country be so quick to write off our rich and diverse culture, they may very well be the ones missing out.