Changes in years of life lost by race/ethnicity among individuals with a bachelor’s degree, by period. Credit: The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaf248

by Chris Sasaki, University of Toronto

The “model minority” myth holds that certain ethnic groups—for example, Asian Americans—are well-educated, hardworking, prosperous, and healthy. But a recent University of Toronto study examining life expectancy among Asian Americans suggests that this perception is just that: a myth. Lead author Hui Zheng, a demographer and social epidemiologist who is a professor in U of T’s department of sociology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, said the increase in life expectancy of Asian Americans has either slowed or reversed compared to non-Hispanic white Americans between 2000 and 2022.

“The longstanding mortality advantage of Asian Americans compared to non-Hispanic white Americans has actually declined during the early 21st century,” he says. “This was really surprising to us.”

For the study, published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, the researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of life expectancy using years of life lost (YLL)—a measure representing the years of potential life lost before reaching average life expectancy. They looked at data collected from 2000 to 2022 for 25- to 84-year-olds in the six largest Asian ethnic subgroups in the United States: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese.

The study found that among individuals with bachelor’s degrees, life expectancy increased by 1.11 years for white men but decreased by 0.17 years for Asian American men. Among women, life expectancy increased by 0.89 years for white women compared with a much smaller increase of 0.004 years for Asian American women.

At the same time, the analysis revealed significant heterogeneity, or diversity, in mortality trends across six Asian ethnic groups.

To read the entire article: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-life-reveals-dangers-minority-stereotype.html