Younger, lower-income Asian-Canadians more likely to be the target of anti-Asian racism: poll

VANCOUVER – Younger Canadians are more likely to be the target of racism, according to a new survey by the Angus Reid Institute and the University of British Columbia.

The two organizations partnered to look at the rise in anti-Asian discrimination in Canada, which was amplified by the pandemic.

The study found Asian-Canadians 18 to 34 and people who had lower incomes were most likely to have experienced and been affected by bigotry over the last year.

About half of the people polled, 47 per cent, said discrimination is a problem in their communities.

Nearly 60 per cent of Asians surveyed said they experienced at least some form of racism in the last year, while 28 per cent said racist encounters happen often or all the time.

Over half of people said the racism they endure has been hurtful and has had lingering effects, two-in-five said the racism is troubling but they’re able to brush it aside, and nine percent said they are not impacted by racist remarks or attacks.

Perhaps on a more positive note, the vast majority of people polled said they don’t believe that anti-Asian racism is institutional and that they haven’t been treated poorly by police, healthcare workers, banks, or the justice system.

And while more than three-quarters of non-Asians interviewed said they think Asian-Canadians are friendly and warm, one-in-five said Asian-Canadians don’t contribute to the larger community.

A quarter of non-Asians polled said Asian-Canadians don’t make an effort to fit into Canadian society and a third went as far as to say that Chinese-Canadians are more loyal to China than to Canada.