TAAF STAATUS Index

CHALLENGE

Fear, frustration, and grief centered around the Asian American community due to the 339% national increase of Asian American hate crimes following the global COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this evolving fear and violence, the media softened the severity of hate crimes, leading to a lack of understanding of how unsafe the Asian American community felt in their daily lives. Our team leaned into this tension point and reframed the storytelling to focus on the consequences of racist behaviors, the importance of cross-solidarity among other racial groups and sharing insights from the social tracking index of Asian American perceptions in the U.S., or the STAATUS Index for short. We intentionally partnered with specific outlets that were invested in this issue in advance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPIHM) to curate a strategy and program that is culturally informed, relevant, and responsive.

IDEA

Our team strengthened the storytelling of Asian Americans with the STAATUS Index, an annual survey collected to understand the perceptions of Asian Americans in the U.S., to mobilize people-first storytelling, front better and culturally authentic narratives across journalism, media, film, and television, and provide a solution towards protecting the Asian American community. By leveraging our relationships across Asian American communities and outlets, the STAATUS Index also informed new and different Asian American narratives to mitigate the false perception that Asian people are a monolith. These stories were not only informed by the STAATUS Index findings, but the insights helped to address the root causes behind harmful, racist attitudes towards Asian Americans. This year’s survey found that 1 in 2 Asian Americans report feeling unsafe in the U.S. due to their race or ethnicity, underscoring the importance of reclaiming narratives and educating the general public about Asian culture and the Asian American experience to positively impact perceptions and relationships with Asian communities.

INSIGHT

Our Edelman team partnered with TAAF, the leading organization for insights on Americans’ perceptions of Asian Americans, on how to build a better future for Asian Americans everywhere. The STAATUS Index has transformed into a coveted line of work where the media references the meaningful data from the index year-over-year. It continues to amplify issues facing the Asian American community, even as anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer making headlines. It has also informed key focus areas like how to improve public education curricula so that Asian American history is included, and ultimately help reduce incidences of Asian American hate and violence.

Press

“New Surveys of Asian Americans show persistent racism and hardship - research released by The Asian American Foundation reveals that anti-Asian sentiment has not abated with the end of the pandemic and safety is a top concern”

“Survey of Asian Americans paints sobering picture of fears about violence – Norman Chen CEO of The Asian American Foundation”

"44% of Americans cannot name a famous living Asian American. A new study found that the most popular choices for Asian Americans were Jackie Chan (who is not American). Bruce Lee (who did 50 years ago) and VP Kamala Harris”

“Asian Americans feel a lack of belonging and safety, national survey finds”

“Many Asian Americans still feel unwelcome, unsafe according to The Asian American Foundation and Stop AAPI Hate data”

“A concerning surge of racism towards Asian Americans is fueling a hidden mental health crisis in the AAPI community. Norman Chen of The Asian American Foundation and Prof. Psychology University of Maryland Charissa Cheah discuss with Katie Phang Show”

“Why Asian Americans say they don’t feel they belong – half of Asian Americans say they don’t feel safe in this country and nearly 80% of Asian Americans do not feel they belong and are accepted. These are takeaways from The Asian American Foundation latest report”