A majority of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults believe racial and economic challenges for their communities will increase under the second Trump Administration, according to a survey released Thursday.
Stop AAPI Hate’s latest report, Dissent and Dread: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Respond to Trump 2.0, found that 62 percent of AAPI adults believe hostility toward immigrants will increase under President Trump, while 53 percent believe anti-AAPI hate crimes will increase.
The concerns follow a rise in anti-AAPI hate online, which surged following Trump’s election in November. Several respondents reported being told they should be deported and to get out of the country, with several referencing the new administration.
In one scenario, a Chinese woman born in America and living in Washington said someone called her a “Chinese peasant,” echoing the words of Vice President Vance.
“She said I shouldn’t be in this country and need to go back to my country. I told her that I was born here and I’m not a peasant and she needs to be more respectful. She kept yelling at me about how I need to be a peasant in my own country,” the woman said.
The report found that 39 percent of AAPI adults said they support increased punishments for hate crimes.
While Trump’s support among AAPI adults increased about 5 points between the 2020 and 2024 elections, Stop AAPI Hate’s report found that a majority of adults don’t support some of Trump’s top policies.
Only 21 percent of AAPI adults support eliminating federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Only 16 percent support reducing H-1B work visas.
With immigration a top priority for the White House, Stop AAPI Hate’s survey found young AAPI voters are the most opposed to Trump’s stance.
Seventy-five percent of AAPI adults under 30 oppose targeting specific groups for deportation based on nationality, compared to 44 percent of adults over 60, the survey found.
Fifty-two percent of young adults were opposed to increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s authority to detain and deport immigrants in the country illegally, compared to only 24 percent of adults over 60.
Stop AAPI Hate’s surveyed 1,598 AAPI adults from NORC’s Amplify AAPI Panel Jan. 7-15. The margin of error is 4.3 percentage points.