Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
A Breakthrough In AAPI Polling
A new monthly survey of Asian Americans will provide in-language materials.
(
Frederic J. Brown
/
Getty Images
)
Asian Americans are the country’s fastest-growing demographic. But they’re routinely left out of public opinion polls. A new collaboration led by a UC Riverside professor will produce in-language monthly polls, gauging Asian Americans’ views on everything from the presidential race to racism.
Accurate surveys of Asian Americans need to include immigrants who make up a majority of the population and who may not speak English as their first language. Providing in-language surveys is expensive and as a result, pollsters often don’t get a large enough sample size of Asian Americans, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a public policy professor at UC-Riverside and founder of the research group, AAPI Data.
“Most survey firms don't have the resources to support it,” Ramakrishnan said. “Or I guess you could say they don't prioritize it enough.”
Ramakrishnan's group AAPI Data has teamed up with the much-larger Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to produce the polls.
Support for LAist comes from
“We can't understand America, if we don't understand Asian American and Pacific Islander communities,” Ramakrishnan said. “They are so integral to what it means to be an American. Period.”
Funding for the project has come from groups such as AARP.
Hundreds of Asian Americans around the country have been recruited to join a panel. The first survey will have more than 1,000 respondents. The goal is to grow the panel to 1,500 to 2,000, and have the critical mass of panelists to break out their responses by categories such as country of origin.
There will be translations available in some of the most commonly-spoken Asian languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.
The first report comes out on Nov. 14, and will measure opinions on presidential candidates and discrimination against Asians.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist