“Racial Discrimination Has Changed My Daily Life”

Suffering and Vigilance among Chinese Americans in New York City and California during the COVID-19 pandemic

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans, especially Chinese Americans, have faced heightened racially-motivated harassment and violence. The surges in anti-Asian discrimination and hate have been particularly high on the East and West coasts due to the concentration of Asian Americans in both areas.

This report compares the racial discrimination experiences and racism-related vigilance among Chinese Americans in New York City and California and reveals that over half of Chinese Americans experienced some form of discrimination in both locations. Even more Chinese Americans endured high levels of racism-related vigilance, revealing the heavy toll racial discrimination has on the mental health and daily lives of the Chinese American community across the two coasts.

This research is released by the Columbia China Center for Social Policy in collaboration with the Columbia Population Research Center, the Center on Poverty and Social Policy, and the Weatherhead East Asian Institute.