Even though Asian and Pacific Islander American residents are the fastest-growing racial demographic in Massachusetts, little is known about the community’s diverse concerns, leading to less representation in public policy.
“We haven’t done a look at the political behavior and look at policy preferences of Asian Americans,” said Paul Watanabe, director of the UMass Boston Institute for Asian American Studies, noting that other reports and polls don’t include Asian Americans. “We’re no longer invisible with this kind of data.”
A groundbreaking new report aims to change the narrative, surveying more than 1,400 residents about the most pressing issues they’re facing and their political beliefs.
“It reflects a collective commitment to data equity, community voice and policy-making — rooted in cultural understanding and respect,” said Shubhecchha Dhaurali, program and research director for the state’s AAPI Commission at an unveiling of the report at the State House on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s more than just a set of questions. It’s a first step into being seen.”
Wantanabe and his colleagues at the UMass Boston Institute for Asian American Studies helped write the questionnaire, alongside the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission of Massachusetts, APIsCAN and the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation, in a poll conducted by MassINC Polling Group.
The term APIA, or Asian and Pacific Islander American, is used to affirm that Pacific Islanders are American, too, the report authors said.
Inflation, the economy and cost of living are the top concerns for Massachusetts APIA residents — and 30% of respondents said they’d had trouble affording housing themselves.
One impacted individual, MiaoQun Zhu of Quincy, spoke to the crowd gathered at the State House with Suzanne Lee interpreting for her. She said she pays $2,050 a month for a two-bedroom apartment that she shares with her daughter and one-year-old grandchild. Her hours as a home health care worker were recently cut in half — from 40 hours a week to 20, at $20.50 an hour.
“Under that kind of circumstances, a lot of the time we have to ask our relatives and friends to help out with the rents, but I just don’t have the money to pay for it,” she said, adding that affordable housing rents are also too expensive and the waitlists are long.
More than half a million APIA residents now live in Massachusetts, rising nearly 38% since 2012.
The majority of respondents — 56% — identify as Democrats or leaning Democrat, with Indian Americans most affiliated with the Democratic Party. Across ethnicities, about two-thirds of respondents who voted in the 2024 presidential election voted for Kamala Harris, while a quarter supported President Donald Trump. The Republican president received a greater share of the vote from men, Vietnamese voters and older voters.
Pollsters also asked about the action that Trump’s taken in office. The most unpopular executive order was attempting to end birthright citizenship, with two-thirds strongly or somewhat opposing, and more than half opposed efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Respondents were more divided on increasing deportations of undocumented immigrants. About 40% favored deporting undocumented immigrants, while more than 50% were opposed.
The respondents also have dealt with experiences of discrimination and racism. About 1 in 5 had been called a racial slur in the last year; about 1 in 10 were physically abused or threatened. Pollsters connected those statistics to how much Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans felt as though they belonged in the United States.
“We found it really interesting — and maybe but not surprising — that feelings of belonging or not belonging are closely tied to experiences with discrimination. Those who disagreed, or said they don’t feel like they belong in the U.S., were twice as likely overall to report one or more instances of discrimination than people who said they felt like they belonged,” said Mahashraya Bowen, a research director at the MassINC Polling Group.
Speakers who discussed the survey’s findings at the State House asked legislators to begin the work of using it for public policy.
“This report is a powerful starting point, but only if we use it. Let’s ensure these findings don’t sit on a shelf,” said Jaya Savita, director of the Asian and Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network. “Let’s put them to work here at the State House, in our city halls, in press rooms, classrooms, and in every space where decisions are being made about our future and communities come to build power.”
