New Study Suggests Anti-Asian Hate And Fear Remain High In New York City

Despite some reports that anti-Asian hate crimes are declining in New York, Asian Americans in the city still fear for their safety and remain hypervigilant in public settings, according to a new study.

The study — whose results were released Thursday by The Asian American Foundation, or TAAF — surveyed 1,000 New York City-based Asian Americans ages 16 and above between Nov. 30 and Dec. 19. The findings show that safety is a major concern among Asian Americans there.

According to the survey, 1 in 5 Asian Americans were physically assaulted in the past 12 months, and 1 in 2 reported experiencing insults, harassments, threats, or a physical attack during that period because of their race or ethnicity. More than half of those surveyed also reported feeling unsafe on public transportation, with 83% of Asian American women calling public safety a major concern in the city.

Between 2020 and 2021, anti-Asian hate crimes surged across the country amidracist rhetoric linked tothe COVID-19 pandemic, with New York City experiencing the largest increase in reports of these incidents, according to a study performed at the time.

Since then, data from the New York Police Department has shown a decrease in such crimes in the city, with 83 incidents targeting Asians in 2022 and 51 incidents in 2023 .

But despite this reported decline, TAAF head Norman Chen said that anti-Asian hate crimes have not dissipated, and that fear is still heightened for Asian Americans in the city.

TAAF’s survey found that 62% of respondents witnessed an Asian American community member being insulted, harassed, threatened or physically attacked due to their race or ethnicity in the past 12 months. Additionally, 75% of respondents changed their daily