New Report: Racial Discrimination Has Changed the Daily Lives of Many Chinese Americans in New York City and California during the COVID-19 Pandemic

By
Qin Gao and Xiaofang Liu
May 26, 2022

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans, especially Chinese Americans, have faced heightened racially-motivated harassment and violence. The surges in anti-Asian discrimination and hate have been particularly high on the East and West coasts due to the concentration of Asian Americans in both areas.

Using data collected among Chinese Americans in New York City and California, a research team led by Professor Qin Gao at the Columbia China Center for Social Policy and Columbia Population Research Center has released a new report that highlights the racial discrimination experiences and racism-related vigilance among Chinese Americans and compares these experiences across the two coasts.

The report shows that, in 2021, over half of Chinese Americans in New York City and California experienced some form of discrimination. Compared to the discrimination experiences, more Chinese Americans in both locations endured high levels of racism-related vigilance, revealing the heavy toll of racial discrimination on the mental health and daily lives of the Chinese American community across the two coasts.

The report is jointly released by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy and Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. The researchers hope these findings can help policymakers and the public gain an in-depth understanding of these disturbing trends and develop effective responses to combat racial discrimination.

Download the full report:

“Racial Discrimination Has Changed My Daily Life”: Suffering and vigilance among Chinese Americans in New York City and California during the COVID-19 pandemic

“种族歧视改变了我的日常生活”：COVID-19疫情期间纽约市和加利福尼亚州华裔居民的种族歧视经历与警惕状态

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Columbia Affiliations
China Center for Social Policy