WASHINGTON: One-fifth of Asians living in the United States have concealed aspects of their culture and heritage from people who are not Asian due to various reasons, including for fear of discrimination, reported Sputnik based on a new Pew Research Centre poll.
“Some of the details that Asian Americans choose not to share include ethnic food or clothing as well as cultural and religious practices,” a release on the poll said on Monday. “When asked why they had hidden some aspects of their culture, Asian Americans mentioned a number of reasons – from fear of being embarrassed to wanting to avoid awkward questions or having to explain themselves and even concern of potential discrimination.”
About 30 per cent of Asians born in the United States have hidden their culture, compared with 15 per cent of Asian immigrants, the report said.
Younger Asian adults were more likely to hide their culture and about 39 per cent in the 18 to 29 year-old bracket said they have done it, compared with 5 per cent of Asians who are 65 and older, the release said.
Pew data shows that Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States with the fastest growth rate from 2000 to 2019. The Asian population grew 81 per cent in those 19 years, from about 10.5 million to a record 18.9 million. Experts have said the number of Asians in the United States is projected to increase more to 35.8 million by 2060.
At present, Asians number 23 million in the United States and the community is marked by vast, ethnically and culturally rich background from more than 20 countries, the report said.
The six largest origin groups – Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese – account for 79 per cent of all Asian Americans, the report said.
Nearly 90 per cent of respondents said Asians in the United States have many different cultures while 9 per cent said they believe they share a common culture, the report added. – BERNAMA-SPUTNIK
