Following months of increased hate crimes involving Asian Americans and increased anti-Asian sentiment on the whole towards the AAPI community, a new Gallup Poll reveals that dissatisfaction with the way Asian Americans are treated in the United States has reached an all-time high.
Based on Gallup’s new data, Bianca Brutus of NBC News has reported that while upwards of 60% of Americans were satisfied with the way Asian Americans were treated in 2020, that number in 2021 has dropped to just 46% — a new all-time low.
“The poll additionally revealed a decline in the perception of relations of Asian Americans with other racial groups,” Brutus said. “Between white Americans and Asian Americans, 67% said relations were good or very good, and between Black Americans and Asian Americans, 58% agreed relations were favorable.”
“Additionally, 30% of Black Americans were satisfied by the treatment of Asian Americans in comparison to white Americans at 50% and Hispanic Americans at 44%,” she added.
America’s increased acknowledgment of the trials the AAPI community has endured over the last year makes sense. In a study conducted by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, researchers found that AAPI hate crimes surged by more than 169% over the last year, especially in large cities with Asian populations like New York and San Francisco.
Where the increase in violence towards AAPI stems from, however, remains up for debate.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Marita Etcubañez, the senior director for strategic initiatives at Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Washington, D.C., said, “We don’t have a true and accurate understanding of what anti-Asian hate during the pandemic has looked like. But we do know that these commonly discussed perceptions that the perpetrators of anti-Asian hate are mainly Black or African American are not accurate.”
In a Pew Research study, researchers found that one-fifth of recent anti-Asian hate attacks stemmed from racist rhetoric and claims made by former President Donald Trump.
But there may be other factors at play as well. According to Brutus, “since the surge of Asian hate crimes, Black Americans have often been inaccurately portrayed as the main perpetrators.”
According to a report published by the Southern Poverty Law Center, white people commit the majority of all U.S. hate crimes. On the flip side, state law enforcement groups and the FBI have suggested that Black Americans are disproportionately behind the rise in AAPI attacks. But nobody knows for sure which group is right — or from where the surge in racist beliefs is truly coming.
However, based on the Gallup poll, most people are tired of the anti-Asian harassment and Sinophobic sentiments — and are ready to turn a corner for a more positive future.
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