A quarter of AAPI adults faced hate in the past year, and most expect more to come: poll

One in four Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults experienced a hate crime or hate incident in the past year, with concerns about future discrimination persisting even as overall rates have declined since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new poll from AAPI Data and the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The survey, conducted March 23-30 with 1,228 AAPI adults nationwide, found that one in 10 respondents experienced a hate crime, which the Department of Justice defines as physical assault, property destruction or related threats, while two in 10 experienced a hate incident, covering offenses such as verbal abuse, ethnic slurs and deliberate physical contact. Overall, one quarter reported experiencing either, down from 36% in an October 2023 AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll but largely unchanged from a June 2025 survey.

The share who reported being called a racial or ethnic slur fell from roughly two in 10 in 2023 to about one in 10 in the current poll. Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data, said the data reflects a plateau rather than a resolution. “The key is there’s been a decline but a stabilization. So, it hasn’t declined since last year,” Ramakrishnan said. “Both hate crimes and hate incidents are still an issue in our community.”

Advocates say immigration enforcement rhetoric has increasingly fueled anti-AAPI hostility, displacing the COVID-19 era narratives that dominated earlier. Preliminary FBI data reflects a broader decline in anti-Asian hate crimes between 2024 and 2025 as the pandemic receded, though hate incidents remain significantly elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The poll also found a recent uptick in incidents among South Asians, consistent with FBI data and Stop AAPI Hate reporting. Stephanie Chan, data and research director at Stop AAPI Hate, said the largest spikes tend to occur “in moments of South Asian visibility,” a reference to times of heightened national attention on South Asian figures. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s historic election is one example.

Fear of discrimination runs deeper than the reported numbers suggest. Nearly six in 10 respondents said they consider it at least somewhat likely they will face racial or ethnic discrimination in the next five years, and about half said the same regarding their immigrant background or status.

The mental health consequences are also evident. Those who experienced a hate crime or incident were twice as likely as those who did not to report moderate or severe anxiety (28% vs. 14%). Three-quarters cited personal finances and 74% cited health concerns as a source of stress, compared to 48% for discrimination. However, the poll found that experiencing hate is closely tied to higher anxiety.