Survey: Blacks, Asian Americans Face Discrimination During Covid-19 Crisis

By Ken Coleman, Michigan Advance

American adults said it has become more common for people to express racist views toward Asians since the COVID-19 crisis began, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

Blacks and Asian Americans also are more likely than whites and Latinos to say they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity. However, Asian adults are the most likely to say this has happened to them since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. Asian adults (31%) said they have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the outbreak began, compared with 21% of Black adults, 15% of Latino adults and 8% of white adults.

The center surveyed 9,654 U.S. adults between June 4 to 10. About half of Blacks (51%) said they have heard expressions of support because of their race or ethnicity since the coronavirus outbreak. Latino (29%) and Asian (28%) adults said the same.

Nearly 40% of Americans said it is more common for people to express racist views about people who are Asian than before COVID-19, while 30% said it has become more common for people to express these views toward people who are Black.

A majority of Asian adults (58%) said it is more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views about people who are Asian than it was before the coronavirus outbreak. About 40% of white, Black and Latino adults said this is more common now. A considerable share of Black adults (45%) also said it is more common for people to express racist views about Black people than before the outbreak, more than the shares of white, Latino and Asian adults who said the same.