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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - June 22, 2012 - The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and the MinKwon Center for Community Action issue this statement in response to the Pew Research Center study, The Rise of Asian Americans. We find that the study's tone, message and framing of its findings are gravely misleading about the real challenges that Asian Pacific American communities face, particularly in New York.
While it is yet too early to understand the Pew Research Center's full methodology (based not only on 2010 Census data but the Center's research surveys), we believe that there are serious problems and errors in the framing of its findings. For example:
- The Pew report significantly underestimates poverty in the Asian Pacific American community.
The Pew report states that "Asian-American adults overall are somewhat less likely to be poor than U.S. adults overall (11.9% for Asian Americans, compared with 12.8% for the U.S.)."
Yet a true in-depth report would dig deeper into the issue of poverty in Asian Pacific American communities. Many Asian Pacific Americans are not citizens, lack access to benefits and medical care (1 out of 8 Asian Pacific Americans in New York do not have health insurance), and are concentrated in urban areas. The Asian Pacific American poverty rate under an alternative poverty measure rises five percentage points to almost 17%, nearly six percentage points greater than Whites. Of all racial groups in New York City, Asian Pacific Americans have the highest rate of the "working poor" at 41%, and a 2006 study by the Asian American Federation found that nearly 40% of Asian Americans in New York City are either in poverty or are "near poor." Finally, as many other groups have noted, the poverty rate in the diverse Asian Pacific American community differs sharply amongst our diverse ethnic groups - with some groups having a much higher poverty rate than the 15.1% rate for Korean adults that the Pew Report used as its "highest" rate.
- The Pew report overestimates Asian Americans' income by ignoring "per capita income" and focusing on "household income" instead.
The Pew Center report refers to Asian Americans as "the highest-income...racial group in the United States" who exceed the national average in "median annual household income ($66,000 versus $49,800) and median household wealth ($83,500 vs. $68,529)."
Yet this picture is entirely misleading. The report itself recognizes that Asian American households are both significantly larger than average U.S. households and have more wage earners as well, yet does not examine "per capita income" in the Asian Pacific American community. Per capita income is a much more accurate and revealing look at whether groups are truly "high income" or not.
- The Pew report simplifies and overlooks many unique obstacles and challenges that Asian Pacific Americans face.
The Pew Report claims that "[A] century ago, most Asian Americans were low-skilled, low-wage laborers crowded into ethnic enclaves and targets of official discrimination. Today they are the most likely of any major racial or ethnic group in America to live in mixed neighborhoods and to marry across racial lines."
Unfortunately, we recognize that many Asian Pacific Americans still today are "low-skilled, low-wage laborers crowded into ethnic enclaves and targets of official discrimination." Asian Pacific Americans continue to face a host of major challenges, such as racial profiling, bullying in schools, bias-based harassment, lack of language access services, and a significant lack of resources. None of these issues is covered in the Pew Report, which instead asked whether Asian Americans believed American parenting was too soft or whether "most people can be trusted."
"The Pew report will be used by many policymakers to continue overlooking the needs of Asian Pacific Americans, New York's fastest growing community," said Wayne Ho, Executive Director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. "State and City officials should look closely at reports issued by many local community based organizations and research centers, which detail the challenges and needs of the Asian Pacific American community. Because poverty, limited English proficiency, and discrimination remain challenges in our diverse community, it is vital for legislators to improve policies, funding, and services specifically for the Asian Pacific American community."
Steven Choi, Executive Director of the MinKwon Center for Community Action, said, "The Pew report looks at our community through rose-colored glasses - and as a result distorts the true reality of our communities. It is essential that people go beyond the Pew report and address the breadth of issues facing the diverse Asian Pacific American community in the areas of health, education, immigration, civil rights, and economy."
CACF and the MinKwon Center are committed to working closely with researchers, allies, and policymakers to ensure that we move beyond the "model minority" narrative of the Asian Pacific American community. CACF and the MinKwon Center serve as co-leads of the 13% and Growing Coalition, consisting of over 45 organizations advocating for New York's diverse Asian Pacific American community by educating policymakers about our communities' needs and fighting for equitable resources for underserved communities.
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