AANHPI remain invisible in US so stereotypes flourish

The United States has been commemorating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander month since 1990 but in the eyes of most Americans, AANHPI people remain largely unseen and when they are noticed, they appear too foreign and mysterious to have as a friend.

Racial stereotypes baked into American culture and society still color the perceptions of AANHPI despite having been in the US before it became a country

Apparently, because few people have little interaction with Asian Americans or have them as friends, stereotypes  have fertile ground to flourish, according to the just released results of the  Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the US (STAATUS) Index – the leading national study of Americans’ perceptions of AANHPI communities released May 1 to kick off AANHPI Heritage Month.

Longstanding stereotypes, deep-seated misperceptions, and media, culture, and information consumption habits continue to shape how AANHPI are viewed by other Americans — often in stark contrast to their lived realities, 

"In 2021, we launched the STAATUS Index to explore how Asian Americans were being scapegoated, invisibilized, and viewed through the lens of toxic stereotypes during the pandemic,” said Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation, which produced the study.

        FYI: Read the entire 2025 STAATUS Index

“Five years later, the data shows there is a growing perception that Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of origin than to the U.S.—a reflection of the rising belief in the 'perpetual foreigner' stereotype,” said Chen.

“The 2025 STAATUS Index also underscores a troubling and ongoing disconnect between how Asian Americans are perceived and how we actually experience life. That has real consequences for our safety, sense of belonging, and pathways to prosperity in this country,” Chen added. 

According to te survey, most Americans do not see the hate and discrimination suffered by Asian Americans and as a result, increasingly think Asian Americans are treated fairly – but Asian Americans continue to feel unsafe in day-to-day spaces and more than 3 in 5 fear they will be victims of discrimination in the next five years.

Making friends is difficult

One troubling finding is that AANHHPI are basically invisible to America as a whole. • Over the past five years, many Americans are unable to name a famous Asian American. Jackie Chan, who is not American, continues to be the most popular answer. This year, 42% could not name a famous Asian American. 

STAATUS INDEX

Despite Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, large swaths of Americans also cannot name a single famous Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (54%) figure, or a significant event involving Asian Americans (53%). 

Furthermore, 1 in 4 Americans have no primary relationship with an Asian American – highlighting how invisible Asian Americans are in US society. 

Perhaps contributing to that invisibility, the survey found 1 in 4 Americans have no primary relationship (like a friend, neighbor, co-worker, family member, etc.) with an Asian American person.

One of the reasons there might not be more relations between AANHPI. people and others, the survey found 28% of Americans agreed at least somewhat with the idea that Asian Americans are less friendly to non-Asian Americans. The top-cited reason this year was that “Many Asian Americans appear to interact only with other Asian Americans.” (51%) apparently dismissing the two-way street necessary for relationships with their  AANHPI neighbors or coworkers.

Steretypes shape perceptions

The pervasive and harmful “model minority myth,” inparticular, continues to dominate perceptions of Asian Americans in the workplace.

As in previous years, the adjectives Americans most often use to describe Asian Americans are: “Intelligent/smart/educated” (40%), “Hard-working,” (24%), and “Kind/nice/thoughtful” (16%).

East and South Asian Americans are seen as more reliable and respectful than white Americans, but less assertive and charismatic. As leaders, East Asians and South Asians are perceived as having less authoritative leadership styles than white Americans.

STAATUS INDEX

Pop media perpetuates stereotypes of AANHPI men and women::

• 37% of Americans draw a blank when asked about Asian American male actors in TV or movies, and the types of characters or roles that come to mind. Out of those who could think of someone, the top responses are Martial Arts/Kung Fu (15%), Jackie Chan (8%, and who is not American), and Comedic/Funny Characters (6%).

• For Asian American actresses, invisibility remains a huge problem. 44% of Americans come up with nothing when asked about characters or roles for Asian American actresses in TV or movies – more than for men.

• The next most popular responses are: Lucy Liu at (6%), followed by the stereotypical Kung Fu/Martial Arts (5%), and Intelligent/Smart/Nerd/Geek (4%), tied with doctors (4%).

Hate? What hate?

The disconnect between reality and perception continues in regards to the rise of anti-Asian hate that rose dramatically during the pandemic and fueld further by anti-Chinese rhetoric from the first Trump administration. 

Americans increasingly think Asian Americans are treated fairly – but Asian Americans continue to feel unsafe in day-to-day public spaces and more than 3 in 5 fear they will be victims of discrimination in the next five years.

• 48% of Americans believe Asian Americans are “treated fairly” – a five-year high, and up from 30% in 2021. Yet almost half (49%) of Asian Americans were insulted because of their race in the past year, 36% indicated they were harassed or threatened, and 15% were physically attacked or assaulted.

• 63% of Asian Americans report feeling unsafe in at least one daily setting, with public transit (33%) and online spaces (26%) remaining areas of high concern for Asian American safety.

• 63% of Asian Americans believe it is at least somewhat likely they will be victims of discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, or religion in the next five years, compared to 33% of white Americans.

• Asian Americans (40%) are far less likely than white Americans (71%) to completely agree that they belong in the U.S. and are least likely to feel they belong in online spaces/social media and their neighborhoods.

A wealth of information in the STAATUS index found: 

• 40% of Americans believe that Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of

origin than to the US, doubling since 2021. This lack of trust is resonant with historical discrimination of Asian Americans - for instance, only 44% strongly agree that the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II was wrong.

• Amid tensions between the governments of the US and China, more than 1 in 4 Americans are concerned that Chinese Americans are a threat to U.S. society, especially around national security. As a wave of state legislatures consider legislation aimed in part at restricting Chinese nationals from purchasing property, 4 in 10 Americans support laws to prevent foreign citizens residing in the U.S. from owning land.

• Among younger Americans, there is a notable reliance on social media (mainly TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube) to learn about AANHPIs. Global pop culture products such as Japanese anime (43%) and Korean TV dramas (42%) are popular sources among 16-24-year-olds to learn about Asian Americans, showing many are mistakenly conflating content from Asia with domestic Asian American cultures and experiences.

• Americans continue to view Asian Americans as “smart, hardworking, and nice.” perpetuating the model minority myth. In the workplace, East and South Asian Americans are seen as more reliable and respectful than white Americans, but less assertive and charismatic. As leaders, East Asians and South Asians are perceived as having less authoritative leadership styles than white Americans.

• Despite the lack of understanding of the lived realities of Asian Americans, nearly 80% of Americans support specific initiatives aimed at uplifting Asian American communities, with 41% backing legislation requiring Asian American history to be taught in schools. This comes as recent strides to expand Asian American studies face pushback as debates about curriculum intensify.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge.