While many Americans believe anti-Asian hate has passed, experts say many communities are still living in fear.

Southeast Asian Americans face assault, verbal abuse and threats more than any other Asian American group, a new report by advocacy group The Asian American Foundation revealed.

The report, which surveyed 6,200 people across ethnicities, said 32% of Asian Americans nationwide were called a slur over the past 12 months, and 29% were verbally harassed or abused. Those numbers were markedly higher for Southeast Asian Americans, of whom 40% were called a slur and 38% faced verbal abuse.

While many Americans believe the Covid-fueled wave of anti-Asian hate has passed, TAAF Chief Executive Norman Chen said that’s very much not the case.

Anti-Asian hate crimes dropped from 2021 to 2022, but Asian Americans surveyed say their daily realities are not free from its effects. In fact, 61% said hate continued to increase over the last year.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Not to detract from the obviously horrendous racism, but can most people tell the difference between someone from, say, Vietnam and someone from South Korea divorced from the context of their location? I can’t. So I don’t understand how Southeast Asians in specific are facing the brunt of the attacks.

    • MicroWave@lemmy.worldOP
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      6 months ago

      From the article, it’s likely because they live and work in lower income areas:

      He said it’s hard to give one reason why Southeast Asians are feeling the brunt of this hate, but he thinks financial status might play a role. A 2020 report by the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center said that all Southeast Asian ethnic groups have a lower per capita income than the average in the U.S.

      “It depends on socioeconomics,” Chen said. “Where these people are living, where they’re commuting, where they’re working. That may be a factor as well.”

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I can. Grew up in an area with a lot of Vietnamese folks. Now, I can’t tell the difference between a Vietnamese person and a Laotian any better than I can tell the difference because a Belgian and a French person. But yeah Korean and Vietnamese, it’s similar to telling the difference between a Brit and an Italian.