Objectives

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S., and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are the third-fastest growing. With a current estimated population of 24 million projected to pass 35.8 million by 2060, understanding how people view Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) continues to be crucial to building a world where they are safe, feel a sense of belonging and have pathways to prosperity.

But there’s a lack of data for AANHPI communities which renders the inequities we face invisible to policy-makers, leaders, funders and the AANHPI community.

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) prioritizes data as a key lever of change. Launched in 2021, TAAF’s annual STAATUS Index (Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States) was the first study of its kind in over 20 years exploring American attitudes towards AANHPIs.

The STAATUS Index is the only nationally representative survey that reveals perceptions about the AANHPI community and how harmful stereotypes evolve and persist year over year. Stereotyping can lead to scapegoating, which can then lead to violence, impacting the sense of belonging of AANHPIs. 

We released our fourth annual STAATUS Index on May 1, 2024 with these objectives:

1. Build upon three years of research to better understand how perceptions of AANHPIs are evolving over time. 
2. Position the STAATUS Index and TAAF as a premier information source for data related to the AANHPI community. 
3. Draw attention to issues affecting the AANHPI community to help develop solutions and policy.

Strategy and Execution

Through the STAATUS Index, we research stereotypes and other misperceptions affecting AANHPIs to gain a better understanding of, and ultimately improve race relations and the status of our community within American society.

For the first time, this year’s report includes expanded subgroup analyses with disaggregated data about East Asians, Filipinos, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs), as well as more year-over-year insights where relevant.

Each new element improves tracking and deepens our understanding of trends so we can advance efforts to fight hate and violence, reclaim AANHPI narratives, and celebrate the stories and histories of our diverse community.

Execution:

AANHPI Heritage Month has become a moment in media and pop culture to highlight the richness and breadth of these cultures, while discussing issues related to the AANHPI community in the U.S. – particularly when it comes to representation.

We wanted to use the timeliness of AANHPI Heritage Month combined with data from this year’s STAATUS Index, creative content, and influencer outreach to drive larger conversations about issues facing the AANHPI community within the broader American public and political system.

Tactics:

• Strategic Media Outreach: We conducted embargoed outreach of key findings to print, online, and broadcast press who had covered previous releases of the STAATUS Index, as well as new targets to help reach opportunity audiences outside of the core AANHPI community. To secure coverage, we offered interviews with TAAF leadership to discuss key results from the report tied to current events and breaking news.
• Digital Marketing: We created a robust digital creative toolkit and conducted outreach to select AANHPI influencers and content creators, known for using their platforms to highlight community issues, to help amplify key messages and takeaways to youth and digital-first audiences. Additionally, we executed a paid search campaign, capitalizing on increased demand for AANHPI content tied to Heritage Month.
• Events: Findings from the report were merchandised to AANHPI community leaders at TAAF’s annual 2-day Heritage Month Summit in New York City; to members of the press at the Asian American Journalists Association brunch during White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend; and to key grantees, partners, and stakeholders via virtual conference.

Key Features:

• We designed and conducted a nationally representative 15-minute survey of 6,272 respondents located across the U.S., aged 16 and older.
• The survey was carried out by Savanta Research via an online panel, from January 30 to March 13, 2024.
• To facilitate more nuanced subgroup analyses, we strategically oversampled Asian Americans.

To make our study appealing to the diverse audiences with which TAAF works, we created a robust but accessible report and an attention-grabbing microsite complete with shareable graphics and an interactive data playground.

To promote much-needed disaggregation within AANHPI data while gathering large enough samples for cross-group analyses, we allowed Asian American respondents to select from an exhaustive list of ethnic backgrounds, then grouped those backgrounds into larger categories with shared geographic, cultural, and historical features (East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Filipino).

Results

STAATUS Index has become a reliable pulse on AANHPI issues. It is widely used as a resource by press to support storytelling, educators for academic research, and elected officials for policy and programs.

KEY FINDINGS

• Over the past 12 months: 32% of Asian Americans say they were called a slur, and 29% said they were verbally harassed or abused.
• Asian Americans are the least likely group to feel strongly that they belong in the U.S. (38%) compared to 44% of Black Americans, 51% of Hispanic Americans, and 70% of white Americans.
• 52% of people could not think of a famous Asian American. Jackie Chan (9% - who is not American), Bruce Lee (5% who died over 50 years ago), and Kamala Harris (2%) were the most common responses.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 1,912 press hits generating 1.5B impressions
• 28 influencer posts generating an estimated 1.2M impressions

PRESS HIGHLIGHTS include Axios and Axios AM (their flagship newsletter), Soledad O'Brien’s Soledad O'Brien's Matter of Fact that ran in nearly 200 affiliate markets, NPR's 1A, Washington Post Live, and NBC News. Since launch, data from the study has been used by The New York Times, Fast Company, The Hill, AsAmNews and more.

CONTENT CREATORS amplifying the survey findings include Anna Kai, Fung Bros, and Amna Nawaz. We expanded to new audiences by engaging Sri Lankan beauty and lifestyle influencer Cynthia Victor via a sponsored content campaign highlighting underrepresentation and the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Media