Asians and Asian-Americans have experienced a surge in anti-Asian hate and attacks since March of 2020, marking the “double pandemic” of COVID-19 and racial discrimination. Specifically, those of Chinese descent have been especially targeted because the first COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China. Using data collected among New Yorkers of Chinese descent through the New York City Longitudinal Survey of Wellbeing, this report sheds light on the racial discrimination experiences of this population and the consequences of these experiences on their mental health during COVID-19.
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Double Pandemic: Discrimination Experiences of New Yorkers of Chinese Descent During COVID-19
双重疫情的挑战：纽约华裔居民在COVID-19期间所遭受的种族歧视
We find that, of the 423 New Yorkers of Chinese descent interviewed in this study, about one third reported experiencing an incident of harassment, assault, or bias in 2020, such as being called a racial slur or physically intimidated or assaulted. Over half of participants reported experiencing discrimination such as being treated unfairly and with a lack of respect. Moreover, discriminatory experiences are more commonly experienced by people who are already financially and materially vulnerable. The vast majority of New Yorkers of Chinese descent worried about their own or their family’s safety from a hate crime or harassment, even those who had not experienced harassment or discrimination directly.
We will continue to build the scientific evidence on the severity of anti-Asian discrimination, especially when targeted towards those already facing other challenges related to poverty and hardship. Racism-related stress and hypervigilance can have serious, long-lasting negative impacts on people’s economic, social, physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. We accompany this report with a call for action to leaders and organizations, researchers and policy makers, and to one another to address anti-Asian racism through policy and practice, activism and education, and support and protection of our communities towards achieving racial equity and justice.
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