1 in 10 Asian Americans live in poverty. Their experiences vary widely, research says

A Nepalese immigrant in his early 40s described the stress and uncertainty he felt during college about how to afford rent, food and tuition despite having a scholarship.

A man of Hmong origin in his mid-30s said he struggled with the decision to either attend college or go straight into the workforce to provide for his family.

And a woman of Pakistani descent in her early 30s said she didn't see her father often while growing up because he worked constantly to support their family and other relatives in Pakistan.

These were some of the responses in a new reportfrom the Pew Research Center about the wide variety of experiences among Asian Americans living in poverty, based on 18 focus groups in 12 languages with 144 participants.

The report was part of a set of research published Wednesday to capture Asian Americans in economic hardship on a quantitative and qualitative scale. The project drew from focus groups, as well as census and survey data.

Nationally, 1 in 10 people of Asian descent live at or below the poverty line. But the rate was vastly different depending on country of origin, researchers found. For instance, about 6% of Indian Americans live in poverty while the rate is 19% for Burmese Americans.

Through focus groups, researchers also found that the challenges and opinions around poverty for Asian Americans differed based on age and whether they were born in or immigrated to the U.S.

"There are also shared experiences among Asian Americans living in poverty such as day-to-day financial difficulties, assumptions by others that they do not need help because they are Asian, and the importance of financial security in achieving their American dream," said Neil G. Ruiz, who co-authored the set of Pew