--- title: "Studying the diverse experiences of Asian Americans requires a new approach" description: "Quarterly Update A message from Pew Research Center President Michael Dimock · Subscribe ↗ Studying the diverse experiences of Asian Americans requires a new approach Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States, but they continue to account for a relatively small share of the nation’s population. As a result, studying the […]" date: "2023-05-11" authors: - name: "Beshay Sakla" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/quarterly-update/studying-the-diverse-experiences-of-asian-americans-requires-a-new-approach/" --- # Studying the diverse experiences of Asian Americans requires a new approach --- May 11, 2023 ## Quarterly Update *A message from Pew Research Center President Michael Dimock* · [**Subscribe ↗**](https://pewresearch.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&id=3e953b9b70) --- ## Studying the diverse experiences of Asian Americans requires a new approach Asian Americans are the [fastest-growing racial or ethnic group](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/09/asian-americans-are-the-fastest-growing-racial-or-ethnic-group-in-the-u-s/) in the United States, but they continue to account for a relatively small share of the nation’s population. As a result, studying the diverse experiences of these Americans requires new, innovative methods and significant investments of time, talent and funding. My colleagues at Pew Research Center recently brought these ingredients together for our comprehensive new study of Asian Americans, which includes: - **The largest probability-based survey of Asian Americans of its kind to date.** Our nationally representative survey of more than 7,000 Asian adults was conducted from July 5, 2022, to Jan. 27, 2023, in six languages: Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean, Hindi, Vietnamese and Tagalog. - **Results from 66 focus group discussions with Asian Americans representing 18 different origin groups.** Moderated by people from each ethnic group being studied, these focus groups took place in 2021 in 18 languages. This effort won the [2023 Inclusive Voices Award](https://aapor.org/membership/aapor-award-winners/) from the American Association for Public Opinion Research, our leading industry organization. #### Planning and conducting the study A typical survey is [not enough](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/07/01/polling-methods-are-changing-but-reporting-the-views-of-asian-americans-remains-a-challenge/) to study Asian Americans in depth. Even large surveys with thousands of participants – like those conducted on Pew Research Center’s [American Trends Panel](https://www.pewresearch.org/our-methods/u-s-surveys/the-american-trends-panel/) – cannot represent all Asian Americans because they tend to be conducted only in English and Spanish. The majority of Asian adults are immigrants, and only around half of those immigrants are proficient in English. To achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the opinions of Asian Americans, we offered our new survey not only in six languages, but also in both paper format and online. We mailed invitations to over 260,000 households across the U.S. and, in the end, more than 7,000 Asian Americans accepted our invitation to participate. Our survey questions were informed by the focus groups we had convened earlier. This qualitative research helped our experts narrow in on the themes to cover in our survey and allowed them to explore the attitudes and experiences of less populous Asian origin groups. #### Funding and partnerships Our goal was a study that was both inclusive and representative of the Asian American population. Translating the survey, conducting the focus groups and mailing invitations to more than a quarter of a million households took tremendous time and resources. We could not have accomplished these goals without funding from our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts, as well as generous support for the survey from The Asian American Foundation; the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; the Henry Luce Foundation; the Doris Duke Foundation; The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation; The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation; The Long Family Foundation; Lu-Hebert Fund; Gee Family Foundation; Joseph Cotchett; the Julian Abdey and Sabrina Moyle Charitable Fund; and Nanci Nishimura. The Leaders Forum provided thought leadership and valuable assistance in helping make this study possible. The strategic communications campaign used to promote the research was made possible with generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation. I would like to thank all our donors. A big goal requires big resources. We are immensely grateful for the support that allowed us to chronicle the varied experiences of Asian Americans. All my best, **Michael Dimock** President, Pew Research Center - [Q&A: A behind-the-scenes look at the survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/08/qa-behind-the-scenes-look-at-pew-research-centers-extensive-new-survey-of-asian-americans/) - [When surveying small populations, some approaches are more inclusive than others](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/08/when-surveying-small-populations-some-approaches-are-more-inclusive-than-others/) - [From 2022: What it means to be Asian in America](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2022/08/02/what-it-means-to-be-asian-in-america/) - [](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/08/qa-behind-the-scenes-look-at-pew-research-centers-extensive-new-survey-of-asian-americans/)[Most Americans say racial bias is a problem in the workplace. Can AI help?](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/20/most-americans-say-racial-bias-is-a-problem-in-the-workplace-can-ai-help/) - [](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/08/qa-behind-the-scenes-look-at-pew-research-centers-extensive-new-survey-of-asian-americans/)[Americans name a long, diverse list of podcasts they listen to most](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/20/americans-name-a-long-diverse-list-of-podcasts-they-listen-to-most/) - [How Black podcast listeners stand out from other groups](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/25/black-u-s-podcast-listeners-choose-distinct-topics-have-different-reasons-for-listening-than-other-groups/) [ ](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/04/13/in-a-growing-share-of-u-s-marriages-husbands-and-wives-earn-about-the-same/) ## [In a growing share of U.S. marriages, husbands and wives earn about the same](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/04/13/in-a-growing-share-of-u-s-marriages-husbands-and-wives-earn-about-the-same/) In 29% of opposite-sex marriages today, both spouses earn [about the same amount](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/04/13/in-a-growing-share-of-u-s-marriages-husbands-and-wives-earn-about-the-same/) of money. But even when earnings are similar, husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure, while wives devote more time to caregiving and housework.