Asian Canadians report ongoing abuse and harassment in Canada, largely due to political tensions and COVID-19, according to a new survey.
The survey, released July 12, interviewed 884 Canadians of Asian descent, adding Chinese and other East Asians, Filipinos, Southeast Asians and South Asians, and another 1625 Canadians of non-Asian descent.
It was conducted through the Angus Reid Institute and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and shows that many face abuse, harassment and mistreatment in 2023.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Asian Canadians have faced hatred and discrimination, but knowledge shows that as those tensions ease, other political points are leading to abuse.
For several years, Canada has faced a complicated relationship with China in particular, adding industry disputes, allegations of election interference, the detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and Canada’s detention of Huawei’s chief monetary officer, Meng Wanzhou.
“One result of this appears to be the mistreatment of Asian Canadians in Canada,” the report says.
“One in five Chinese and East Asian Canadians say they have faced a backlash from other Canadians due to political tensions between the Canadian and Chinese governments.
Knowledge that about 20% say harassment has happened “repeatedly. “
Angus Reid conducted a separate survey of a similar nature in 2021 and comparing it with 2023, the negative remedy of Asian Canadians increases, especially for Chinese Canadians.
In 2021, Canadians of Chinese origin reported experiencing negative reactions from other Canadians all the time (4%) or (11%).
Chinese Canadians report more insults and insults, private threats or intimidation, friends or colleagues avoiding contact with them, and physical attacks by strangers between 2023 and 2021.
The proportion of Chinese Canadians who saw offensive clothing on social media, graffiti on their network or other spaces decreased since 2021, and the percentage who reported disrespect or abuse in another bureaucracy expanded significantly. (Angus Reid Institute)
Among all Asian Canadians who responded in 2023, South Asians (28%) reported a higher point of abuse or discrimination.
In the past year, about 22% of Chinese and East Asian Canadians have noticed offensive media, graffiti, propaganda or pranks.
Canadians of South Asian descent reported being treated with less respect and fearing the most for the protection of friends and family in the past year.
When asked in particular whether discrimination and racism were getting worse, more Asian Canadians agreed they had gotten worse in the past year (in 2022 and 2023).
About 42% of the general population said racism “stayed the same,” while 46% of Asian Canadians said it was “getting worse. “
While Asian Canadians agree that more is wanted to be done to combat discrimination in Canada, the general population believes otherwise, according to the survey.
When asked, “To what extent is racism and discrimination against Asians a challenge today in Canada as a whole?”About 45% of the general population said it was a challenge “among others here” in 2023.
This is a 48% precedence in 2021.
For Asian Canadians, the challenge has shifted, with it appearing at 56 per cent in 2023, up from 53 per cent in 2021, Asian hatred in Canada is one “challenge among others here. “
While many Canadians that Asians hate is a challenge in Canada, it is a minor challenge within their own community.
In 2023, about 26% said anti-Asian racism in their network was a problem, in 2021, 30%.
But Asian Canadians responded in 2023 and 2021 (33%), or it remains a challenge in their communities.
“Regions with higher degrees of representation of Asian Canadians (Ontario and British Columbia) are more likely to have explicit considerations about discrimination in their own provinces,” the report says.
Approximately one portion (51%) of all respondents in British Columbia reported that racism is a problem in the province, followed by 41% in Quebec and 39% in Ontario.
About 40 per cent of Manitoans said it’s a minor problem.
When it comes to taking action against hate, most Asian Canadians don’t report the party to the police.
About 39% don’t tell anyone about a negative experience, while 31% say they know.
This is consistent with what Asian-Canadians think of those holidays, with 38% saying the situation “remains” with them. It’s higher among younger Asian-Canadians, with 40% saying a party provokes them and stays with them.
While racism and discrimination continue for Asian Canadians and other racial minorities, in general, Canadians see the price of a varied population.
“More than 4 in five (86 consistent with one hundred) say Canada’s multicultural population is a strength rather than a weakness,” the report says.
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Methodology
The general population pattern, the Asian Canadian pattern, and the Chinese-only pattern are weighted according to census demographics. The patterns of Chinese and other East Asians (combined), South Asians, and Southeast Asians are distributed almost slightly by age, sex, and other demographics, but are not weighted through the census.