By Phenix Kim

As of May, Asian Americans make up 7.7% of the U.S. population – roughly 25.8 million people, making them the fastest growing racial group in the country, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Having nearly doubled from 2000 to 2023, the Asian American Pacific Islander population continues to contribute significantly to the economic, political and cultural makeup of urban and suburban regions nationwide.

Home to roughly 2 million AAPI residents, New York boasts the second largest population of Asian Americans in the U.S., with Long Island seeing a 150% increase over the last seven years. Yet despite their growing presence, members of New York’s AAPI community continuously report high levels of race and language-based discrimination.

According to the latest report from the Asian American Institute for Research and Engagement, in partnership with the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, titled “Asian American Language Accessibility Assessment: Breaking Barriers and Bridging Gaps,” nearly 78% of AAPI adults in Long Island reported experiencing race-based discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes with only 20% of victims reporting incidents.

“In every focus group, all they kept on bringing up was discrimination,” said Farrah Mozawalla, CEO and founder of Asian American Institute for Research and Engagement, and one of the authors of the study. “Stories of discrimination, how they felt like they were the other, how they felt that they were isolated, uncomfortable, over and over, which I knew was going to happen – but I didn’t realize to what extent.”

On Long Island, the AAPI population represents nearly 13% of Nassau and 5% of Suffolk Counties, consisting of a diverse cohort of East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern communities. With the exponential growth of immigrant groups in Long Island, researchers observed that the region is unequipped to support the needs of AAPI communities.

To read the entire article: https://www.cityandstateny.com/nyn-media/2025/05/long-island-sees-growth-among-asian-americans-amidst-reports-hate/405598/

Photo credit: Rainer Lesniewski/Shutterstock