
Being Asian in America
Pew Research Center has embarked on an initiative to expand the Center’s work on underrepresented voices in the nation. The “Being Asian in America” portfolio consists of demographic, quantitative and qualitative research examining the attitudes and experiences of Asian Americans. This research seeks to highlight the diverse cultures and origins represented in the Asian population living in the U.S. Explore the entire project using the links on this page.
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.
What It Means To Be Asian in America
In a new analysis based on dozens of focus groups, Asian American participants described the challenges of navigating their own identity in a nation where the label “Asian” brings expectations about their origins, behavior and physical self.
Documentary: Being Asian in America
In this companion documentary, Asian American participants described navigating their own identity. These participants were not part of our focus group study but were similarly sampled to tell their own stories.
Extended Interviews: Being Asian in America
The stories shared by participants in our video documentary reflect opinions, experiences and perspectives similar to those we heard in the focus groups. Watch extended interviews that were not included in our documentary but present thematically relevant stories.
In Their Own Words: The Diverse Perspectives of Being Asian in America
Use this quote sorter to read how focus group participants answered the question, “What does it mean to be you in America?”