Are You Threatening Me? Asian‐American Panethnicity in the Trump Era

Abstract

Objective. This study explores the effect of Donald Trump's candidacy, and first year in office, on Asian-American linked fate. We argue that the use of anti-Asian and anti-immigrant messaging during the 2016 election, and the enactment of discriminatory policies once elected, increased feelings of panethnic linked fate among Asian Americans. Method. To test our hypotheses, we assess Asian Americans' levels of linked fate before the 2016 election, immediately after the 2016 election, and one year after the 2016 election with several time-series surveys. Results. We find that Asian-American linked fate is higher after the election and remains high one year later. Qualitative data collected through open-ended survey responses suggest that the increase in panethnic linked fate can be at least partially attributed to Trump's discriminatory rhetoric. Conclusion. The results have implications for Asian-American political behavior, particularly mobilization, by invoking collective action through panethnic linked fate.

When “model minorities” become “yellow peril”—Othering and the racialization of Asian Americans in the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Asian Americans of various ethnic backgrounds have faced attacks, harassment, and racial hostility due to COVID-19. Panethnic linked fate, the feeling that what occurs to a member of one's own racial group can affect individual group members (Haynes & Skulley, 2012), is increasing among Asian ethnics due to the anti-Asian rhetoric of the Trump Administration (Le, Arora, & Stout, 2020). Such rhetoric, coupled with shared COVID-19 related discrimination, is fostering the emergence of grassroots movements led by Asian Americans.…”

COVID-19 and the Fourth Estate: Asian American Journalists’ Gendered Racial Harms and Racial Activation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The level of harm for Tara had become serious enough that her newsroom assigned a security detail when she covered conservative rallies. Her double conspicuousness as an Asian American woman and as a broadcast reporter have made her especially vulnerable in conservative spaces marked by anti-Asian hostility (D. Le, Arora, & Stout, 2020), White supremacy (Kelly, 2020), and antipathy toward the press. Women reporters of color, especially in broadcast news, are more likely to be harassed (Miller & Lewis, 2020).…”

The Effects of Ideological and Ethnoracial Identity on Political (Mis)Information

“…Hispanics and Asians are more likely to have recent personal or familial experience with immigration ( Lopez and Radford 2017 ), and are less likely to favor restrictive immigration policies ( Masuoka and Junn 2013 ). In fact, evidence demonstrates that more punitive immigration policies ( Vargas, Sanchez, and Valdez 2017 ), higher immigration enforcement ( Maltby et al 2020 ), and President Donald Trump’s harsher anti-immigrant and discriminatory rhetoric ( Le, Arora, and Stout 2020 ) increased panethnic linked fate among Latinos (including those born in the United States) and Asian Americans.…”