The Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs (PBI) at Cal State LA and the California Community Foundation (CCF) released the results of a survey that reveals how the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Los Angeles views local, state, and national leaders and key issues including pandemic relief, homelessness, immigration, law enforcement, hate crimes and discrimination, civic participation, and identity.
Since PBI’s last survey of Asian Americans in Los Angeles, conducted in 2016, the community has experienced the Trump presidency, renewed movements for racial justice, and the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. AAPI residents, who make up about 15% of the L.A. County population, will likely play a significant role in shaping this year’s Los Angeles elections.
The survey of more than 1,500 AAPI residents was conducted by BSP Research in late 2021 under the direction of veteran pollster Matt Barreto, in association with PBI’s Nathan Chan, an expert in AAPI public opinion and voting behavior, and with funding from CCF. The AAPI survey is the second in a two-part Voices of L.A. survey series from PBI and CCF. A survey of the Los Angeles Latina/o community was released on March 1. Read more about the Latina/o survey in the Cal State LA Newsroom and the Los Angeles Times. The Voices of L.A. survey series is part of a groundbreaking multiyear PBI project to survey four major racial and ethnic populations in Los Angeles County: the Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latino, Black, and Jewish communities. The following experts spoke during the virtual event:
- Nathan Chan, research associate, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA and PhD graduate, UCI
- Efrain Escobedo, vice president of public policy & civic engagement, California Community Foundation
- Manjusha P. Kulkarni, executive director, AAPI Equity Alliance, and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate
- Lian Cheun, executive director, Khmer Girls in Action
- Frank Shyong, columnist, LA Times
- Los Angeles Times article: Two-thirds of L.A. County Asian Americans fear racial attacks, survey finds
- The Institute has also published a report based on the findings of the survey: Racial Discrimination, Hate, and the Politics of AAPIs in Los Angeles