Survey: Jobs, terrorism, racial bias among top AAPI concerns

By Louis Chan
REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

A multilingual survey of 2,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters found that the economy and jobs, terrorism and racial discrimination are their three most important issues entering the election.

Both terrorism and the economy ranked high in a recent poll of the general electorate as well by the Pew Research Center , but AAPIs rank racism and discrimination much higher-third versus tenth.

Ten percent of the AAPIs polled by the National AAPI Survey say racism is the most important issue facing the country. Six percent also rank it as the most important issue facing them personally.

It’s impossible to make a direct comparison to the findings of the Pew poll because the question wasn’t exactly the same. In that survey, voters were asked which issues are “very important.” 63 percent named “treatment of racial minorities.” That was ranked tenth, much behind the No. 1 issue, the economy at 84 percent and the No. 2 issue terrorism at 80 percent.

A quarter of AAPI voters in the Asian/American survey say the economy is the MOST important issue facing the country. 12 percent ranked terrorism as the MOST important.

On policy issues, the National Asian American Survey conducted August 10 to September 29, 2016 found 60 percent support the Affordable Care Act. Sixty-six percent support greater government spending to help undergraduates pay for education, 62 percent oppose a government ban on Muslims, 44 percent support accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S. and 35 percent oppose the idea, and only 33 percent support the legalization of marijuana in small amounts.

The poll surveyed by telephone 274 Asian Indians, 59 Cambodians, 281 Chinese, 201 Filipinos, 151 Hmong, 286 Koreans, 147 Japanese, 295 Vietnamese and 291 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Interviews were conducted in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong and Cambodian..

Seventy-two percent of the interviews were conducted by landlines versus 28 percent mobile phones.

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Study: Discrimination can cause stress

EVER BEEN passed up for a promotion because your boss didn't think Asian/Americans could be a good leader? Or, being ignored in a restaurant by the servers who didn't think Asians tipped well? Or, asked to speak English-only on your job even though you're on a break? Or, feel the pressure to outperform your peers in order to stay even? Or, any number of micro and mega aggressions that occur almost daily?

A new study by the American Psychological Association confirms what people of color have known for some time: discrimination is damn stressful. 

 “Stress in America: The Impact of Discrimination” analyzed data from an August 2015 Harris Poll of 3,361 American adults; 2,290 of them were people of color. 

The study found that 69 percent of respondents have experienced discrimination at some point, with 61 percent saying they deal with it daily. Nearly half (47 percent) report what the study defines as major discrimination, which includes unfair treatment from police; neighbors making their life difficult; teachers who discourage their development; and health care disparities.

The researchers connect experiencing discrimination—and even the heightened vigilance that comes with the anticipation of being mistreated—with increased stress. Across the board, those who reported being discriminated against also had elevated stress levels, which is associated with poorer overall health.

In worst case situations, where people suffer a constant drip, drip, drip of bias in their daily lives, people can develop PTSD (Post Traumatic Sress Disorder) much like military veterans who experience the stress in combat.

“It’s clear that discrimination is widespread and impacts many people,” Jaime Diaz-Granados, the APA's executive director for education said in a press release. “When people frequently experience unfair treatment, it can contribute to increased stress and poorer health.”

Some of key findings include:

• 39 percent of African/American men report being unfairly stopped, searched, questioned, threatened or assaulted by police
• 35 percent of Asian/American men say they have been unfairly denied a promotion
• 81 percent of Native Americans, 76 percent of African/Ameircan, 74 percent of Asians and 72 percent of Latino/Americans report every day discrimination
• Among those who have experienced discrimination, just 28 percent of African/Americans report being in excellent/very good health; that percentage is 29 percent for Latino/Americans, and 32 for Euro/Americans
• Overall, women report higher stress levels than men

Read the entire report here.

For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.