AA/PI communities are mobilizing against racism. This report uncovers how experiences with racism have galvanized them.
“From Pain to Power” is based on our first annual survey on the state of anti-AA/PI hate. Combining key insights from this nationally-representative survey with Stop AAPI Hate reporting center data, this report examines how hate is experienced, the impact on AA/PI people and key motivators for political activation and civic engagement.
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The executive summary is also available in Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Hindi, Korean, Samoan, and Vietnamese.
Hate is an ongoing threat and powerful driver of civic and political engagement.
Four years ago, anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the racism and discrimination that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have faced for generations. Our report “From Pain to Power: Asian American and Pacific Islander Activation in the Face of Hate”, features survey data showing incredible resilience from AA/PI communities as we endure high levels of racism and discrimination. Rather than giving up hope, Asian Americans and Pacific Islander adults are responding to the ongoing rise of hate and harassment with increased levels of political and civic participation.
“From Pain to Power” offers new insights into civic and political engagement and other reactions to anti-AA/PI hate. As the inaugural edition of the State of Anti-AA/PI Hate Report, it brings together real-world stories and data insights from the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center and nationally-representative survey of AA/PI adults (with NORC at the University of Chicago) to provide a fuller picture of hate in 2023 and its various effects on AA/PI communities.
Key findings
In March 2024, Stop AAPI Hate and NORC surveyed a nationally-representative panel of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander adults about their experiences with hate in 2023. We wanted to understand the impact of hate on their everyday lives, the support and resources they need, and what steps they have taken to combat racial injustice. Here is what we learned from them.
Almost half (49%) of AA/PI adults experienced an act of hate in 2023 due to their race, ethnicity, or nationality — a reminder that hate remains pervasive across AA/PI communities. Most hate acts involve some form of harassment (88%) — while 23% of hate acts involve physical contact or harm.
“[A] woman attempted to stop me in my tracks and screamed in my face. She said ‘You’re wearing a mask? What goes around comes around. Go back to f***ing China.’ I was on my way home from picking up a prescription.”
— Man, Multiracial Pacific Islander, New York
“[Someone] yelled and spat at [me] from a balcony, told [me] to go back to India, and he made gunshot signs at me with his hands.”
— Man, Indian, California
Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that anti-AA/PI hate is still a widespread problem across AA/PI communities.
People also reported a wide range of incidents, from interpersonal acts of hate like verbal harassment to institutional acts like workplace discrimination.
Anti-AA/PI hate has harmful consequences on our everyday lives — damaging our mental health, eroding our sense of belonging, straining our personal relationships, and even changing our behaviors and routines.
“[My friend and I were] taking a walk in front of the gymnasium at [name of university]. A guy … came towards us on a bike … and spat on me. He was hurling abuses and telling me to ‘go back.’ It took me and my friend a moment to register what had just happened so we could not react immediately. But he kept on abusing and rushing away on his bike. This was the most disgusting and humiliating experience of my life, and I decided in that moment that I do not want to become a regular member of this society since there is no respect for people of different ethnicities and cultures here.”
— Man, Southeast Asian, Massachusetts
Hate has a tremendous impact on our well-being, with 43% of people who experienced hate reporting negative effects to their physical and/or mental health. In fact, people who experienced hate were 5.6 times more likely to report moderate to severe anxiety and depression compared to people who did not.
We also learned that hate can impact our sense of belonging. Of those who experienced hate, over half (56%) of AA/PI respondents did not feel accepted in American society on account of their race, ethnicity, or nationality.
Despite the persistence of hate, underreporting remains a serious challenge. Over one-third of AA/PI adults who experienced hate have not received the care they need.
“They were at a laundromat near their home and a man spat at her and her son. She called the non-emergency police number … The officer did not sound interested … When she spoke to a supervisor, they told her she could file a report at the station or from her home. … She instead filed a report with Stop AAPI Hate, saying, ‘I feel what you’re doing is helpful because you’re listening and taking it seriously. It makes people feel terrible when these things happen over and over again.’”
— Woman, East Asian, Maryland story collected by Stop AAPI Hate via interview
44% of AA/PIs who experienced hate haven’t shared their experience with anyone — including family, friends, mental health providers, law enforcement, etc. Just 10% reported their experience to criminal law enforcement and even fewer (6%) to civil law enforcement.
When acts of hate go unreported, victims miss out on opportunities to access support services. This could account for the sizable gap between the support people need and the support they receive. Over one-third (37%) have not received legal assistance, mental health support, language services, and other means of support they need. It’s even worse for people experiencing severe to moderate distress, who are even less likely to have received support.
The vast majority of AA/PI adults are primed to take action against racism. Those who have experienced a recent act of hate are even more compelled to take civic or political action.
We found that the four factors most likely to motivate AA/PI adults to get involved in racial justice efforts are:
“I think I’ve come to see resistance in community where many speak up or speak about shared experiences. [This] liberates and heals.”
— Woman, Taiwanese, California
The vast majority (85%) of AA/PI adults expressed concern about the U.S. racial climate and feel motivated (70%) to get involved in efforts to advance racial justice for AA/PI communities.
These rates of engagement are incredibly exciting as AA/PI communities are spotlighted more and more in the political space. In 2023, almost 3 in 4 (74%) AA/PI adults reported participating in civic and/or political activities to resist or reduce racism. That includes confronting others who did or said something racist, learning more about the history of racism, and donating to local organizations.
The rate of civic and political participation is even higher (89%) among those who experienced an act of hate. For political engagement in particular — including activities like protesting or signing a petition — victims of hate were 2.5 times as likely to engage.
The survey results are clear: Anti-AA/PI hate has without a doubt persisted past the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — affecting almost half of AA/PI adults in 2023 and leaving behind a host of negative effects on our everyday lives. AA/PI communities need greater support from leaders and policymakers at all levels of government to address not just the violent attacks that make headlines but other forms of hate as well, including harassment, institutional discrimination, and societal racism like anti-AA/PI political rhetoric.
But even in the face of ongoing hate, the data also supports that we are strong, we are resilient, and we are taking action to tackle racism.
We are able to continue publishing research like this because of the generous support of people like you.
Your donation to Stop AAPI Hate helps us conduct research and analysis on the continuing state of anti-AA/PI hate, advocate for AA/PI communities, and sustain our fight to build a fairer, more equitable future for all.
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Research and reports
Read our latest research and reports to learn more about AA/PI communities’ experiences with racism and discrimination.