Nearly half of Asian American Californians report hate incidents in new survey

At a California restaurant, a man of Taiwanese descent was told he was getting deported and that he should enjoy his last meal, the man later recalled.

In another California incident, a mother of Indian descent said she was at a playground with her child when a young man, staring at her, asked his friend, “Hey, do you have a gun?” then followed that with, “Hey, do you have a bomb?”

The first-hand accounts were among those shared last year with the group Stop AAPI Hate, which says California continues to lead the country in reported anti-Asian incidents with no signs of flagging.

Around half — 48% — of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults in California said they experienced an anti-Asian incident in 2024, according to a new survey conducted by Stop AAPI Hate in conjunction with the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.

The response rate, drawn from a sample of 515 Californians, was nearly identical to the previous year — 49% — suggesting that anti-Asian racism has been sustained, said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate.

The survey found that the majority of respondents are anticipating greater hostility towards immigrant communities and an increase in anti-Asian acts.

Kulkarni said under the Trump administration, many Asian Americans are feeling the effects of institutional discrimination. Trump’s attempt to roll back birthright citizenship would disproportionately affect Asian immigrant communities across the state, she said.

“Their children, who are born in the U.S., are impacted by changes in what have been constitutional protections for over 100 years,” Kulkarni said.

Asian immigrants are also getting swept up in ICE actions that a federal judge in L.A. recently ruled have indiscriminately targeted people based on their race, language and workplace.

And Chinese students, specifically, feel under fire after Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May said the US would begin revoking some of their visas.

“So certainly, if you are a Chinese person here in Los Angeles, if you are a student, there are new policies afoot that may make your life and living in the United States very precarious,” Kulkarni said.

Behind the report

Stop Asian Hate was founded in 2020, when anti-Asian racism surged, driven by xenophobic political rhetoric blaming Asians for the pandemic. Since then, the group has collected and analyzed thousands of incident reports, using the data to raise awareness about anti-Asian hate and bolster legislation for programs to counter racism.

The group issues a special report for California because it has by far the largest AAPI population in the country. Last year, more than 150 reports — about a third of the anti-Asian incidents reported to Stop AAPI Hate nationwide — originated from California.

The California legislature responded to the recorded rise in hate incidents by passing the Asian and Pacific Islander Equity Budget in 2021. More than $205 million has been dedicated to programming such as bystander intervention training, community art and mental health services.

The toll of anti-Asian hate

In the latest California survey, about 40% of respondents who said they experienced racism also described a toll on their health.

“That can be both mental health, resulting in increased stress, anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, as well as avoidance behaviors,” Kulkarni said, referring to people changing their normal activities or choosing new locations.

Formal reporting to authorities remains low, with 72% of respondents who said they experienced racism in the latest survey saying that they did not contact law enforcement.

For those who do reach out to police, it doesn't always result in a report.

In one incident shared last year, a California woman of Vietnamese descent described calling police after she was attacked at her mailbox by a woman screaming obscenities and spitting on her.

She said police discouraged from filing a report, saying that would give the attacker a way to find her.

“It’s taken a long time for me to feel comfortable talking about this, let alone report it,” she wrote to Stop AAPI Hate.