Symposia
Culture / Ethnicity / Race
Lu Dong, Ph.D.
Associate Behavioral and Social Scientist
RAND Corporation
Santa Monica, California
Jennifer Bouey, MD PHD
Tang Chair in China Policy Studies
RAND Corporation
Santa Monica, California
Douglas Yeung, PhD
Behavioral Scientist
RAND Corporation
Santa Monica, California
Background: Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States; the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population also shows a high rate of growth. Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this growing Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) population has faced a new wave of anti-Asian racism and hate incidents. To date, there has been limited research on strategies to address anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by community-engaged participatory research principle, our analysis represents a step toward addressing this knowledge gap in hopes of spurring more discussions about potential solutions to this new wave of anti-Asian racism and contributing to the breadth of research needed to inform policy and action during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (i.e., leaders, representatives) from organizations serving the AAPI population at the national and state (California) levels focusing on the following questions: 1) shorter- and longer-term causes; 2) impact on AAPI communities; 3) How do these incidents connect to longstanding racial equity issues? 4) What data and research are needed to inform these mitigation strategies? Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, based on which qualitative content analysis was conducted.
Results: Stakeholders conjectured that public anxiety and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, triggered the recent wave of anti-Asian hate. They described that those personally mediated anti-Asian attacks occurred in the context of longstanding systemic racism. They stated that systemic racism and inequities are the persistent undertone for the rise of anti-Asian attacks. Despite widespread fear and anxiety, the community has been galvanized to build newfound alliances and resilience. Stakeholders suggested that, to reduce racial inequities and better target services needed by AAPI communities, funding priority should be given to collecting race- and ethnicity- specific data (e.g., on health, economic indicators, education). These data collection efforts should take place through partnerships with community organizations, which will ensure cultural and linguistic appropriateness.
Discussion: These insights are an initial step toward more community-partnered action and policy-oriented research on the AAPI population.