A new study from The Asian American Foundation finds that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are more likely than other groups to say recent federal policy changes under the Trump administration have had negative effects on their communities.
The survey highlights several factors AAPI respondents say have hurt their communities, including tariffs on imported goods and restrictions on student visas. Those economic and immigration policies, participants said, have exacerbated existing concerns and compounded the challenges many AAPI people face in the United States.
The study also documented troubling social impacts. Roughly 20% of U.S. adults told researchers they are concerned that Chinese Americans pose a threat to society. Within the AAPI community, about 20% of respondents reported being insulted or harassed because of their race over the past year. The survey found AAPI respondents are more likely than others to distrust Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to question the agency’s ability to enforce immigration law fairly and safely.
Transportation emerged as a particular area of worry: many AAPI people said they feel least safe when using public transit, including streets and subways, and some have changed their travel behavior as a result.
Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation, told The Daily Report that Asian Americans are among the most worried racial groups in the U.S. He said the combination of targeted immigration measures and trade policies has heightened concerns and “exacerbated the overall challenges of being Asian American” in the country.
Chen and the study authors emphasized that some of the hostility comes from long-standing stereotypes — for example, the trope of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners or threats — that were amplified during events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a spike in anti-Asian incidents.
There is, Chen noted, a countervailing trend in the findings: many Americans say they are open to learning more about AAPI culture and history, trying AAPI foods, or visiting AAPI neighborhoods. The foundation said it plans to expand efforts to increase representation of Asian American history in schools, and to promote visibility in institutions from classrooms to boardrooms.
The study’s authors and Chen urged a mix of policy attention and public education to address the harms the survey documents: policy reform to reduce targeted economic and immigration measures, stronger protections against harassment and hate, and public efforts to combat stereotypes by highlighting AAPI contributions and histories.
The report comes as AAPI advocacy groups continue to press for federal and local responses to anti-Asian harassment and for resources to support communities experiencing economic and social fallout from recent policies.