Why Asian Immigrants Come to the U.S. and How They View Life Here
Most say they’d move to the U.S. again if they could and cite a good comparative standard of living. But 59% also see major issues with the immigration system.
2022-23 Survey of Asian Americans
This Pew Research Center survey asked a nationally representative sample of 7,006 Asian American adults about their experiences living in, and views of, the United States. It covers topics such as racial and ethnic identity, religious identities and practices, policy priorities, discrimination and racism in America, affirmative action, global affairs, living with economic hardship, and immigrant experiences.
The survey sampled U.S. adults who self-identify as Asian, either alone or in combination with other races or Hispanic ethnicity. It included oversamples of the Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese populations. Respondents were drawn from a national sample of residential mailing addresses, which included addresses from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Specialized surname list frames were used to supplement the sample. The survey was conducted on paper and web in six languages: Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), English, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Responses were collected from July 5, 2022, to Jan. 27, 2023.
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Asian Americans, Charitable Giving and Remittances
Overall, 64% of Asian American adults say they gave to a U.S. charitable organization in the 12 months before the survey. One-in-five say they gave to a charity in their Asian ancestral homeland during that time. And 27% say they sent money to someone living there.
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Discrimination Experiences Shape Most Asian Americans’ Lives
Most Asian adults in the U.S. have been treated as a foreigner or experienced incidents where people assume they are a “model minority.”
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Religion Among Asian Americans
A rising share of Asian Americans say they have no religion (32%), but many consider themselves close to one or more religious traditions for reasons such as family or culture. Christianity is still the largest faith group among Asian Americans (34%).
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Most Asian Americans View Their Ancestral Homelands Favorably, Except Chinese Americans
Around three-quarters of Asian Americans (78%) have a favorable view of the United States. Majorities of Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Vietnamese adults in the U.S. have a favorable view of their own ancestral homeland. By contrast, fewer than half of Chinese Americans say they have a favorable opinion of China.
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Asian Americans Hold Mixed Views Around Affirmative Action
About half of Asian adults who have heard of affirmative action (53%) say it is a good thing, 19% say it is a bad thing, and 27% say they don’t know whether it is good or bad. However, about three-quarters of all Asian adults (76%) say race or ethnicity should not factor into college admissions decisions.
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Diverse Cultures and Shared Experiences Shape Asian American Identities
Among Asian Adults living in the U.S., 52% say they most often describe themselves using ethnic labels that reflect their heritage and family roots, either alone or together with “American.” About six-in-ten (59%) say that what happens to Asians in the U.S. affects their own lives.
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