Five years after the surge in anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, hate against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AA/PI) communities remains entrenched across the United States. In 2025, about half of AA/PI adults experienced race-based hate acts, a trend that has persisted for three consecutive years. This sustained level of harm must be understood within the context of an onslaught of anti-immigrant political rhetoric and policies with Trump’s return to office. As many AA/PI people are immigrants or part of immigrant families, these policies and sentiments uniquely heighten their vulnerability. Hate acts, political rhetoric, and exclusionary policies form an interconnected system of harm disproportionately impacting AA/PI communities.

This year, Stop AAPI Hate conducted its third annual nationally representative survey to understand the scale of anti-Asian American and anti-Pacific Islander (anti-AA/PI) hate acts across the nation. This report on the state of anti-AA/PI hate, “Closing Doors, Widening Harm: Persistent Hate Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in an Anti-Immigrant Climate,” summarizes key survey findings and shares accounts of hate acts reported to Stop AAPI Hate’s reporting center that occurred in 2025. Together, these sources provide a comprehensive and sobering picture of hate and its impacts on AA/PI communities.

The survey of 1,378 AA/PI adults was conducted in January 2026 with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization. It utilized the Amplify AAPI® Panel, the largest and most representative public opinion panel of AA/PI communities, and included diverse representation across ethnic groups, income levels, nativity, and citizenship status.

Key Findings

About half (49%) of AA/PI adults experienced a hate act in 2025 due to their race, ethnicity, or nationality — statistically similar to 53% in 2024 and 49% in 2023.

• Harassment and institutional discrimination continued to be the most common forms of hate. In 2025, 44% experienced harassment, 23% experienced institutional discrimination, 13% experienced physical harm or contact, and 10% experienced property harm.
• Rates of experiencing hate were similarly high across age, gender, income, language, and regional ethnic group.
• The prevalence of hate targeting Pacific Islander adults rose from 47% in 2024 to 57% in 2025, a statistically significant increase.
• The top three locations of hate continued to be online (43%), public spaces (40%), and businesses (36%).
• 52% of AA/PI adults said other aspects of their identity were targeted in addition to their race, ethnicity, or nationality. Age (27%), gender (25%), and class (23%) were the top three intersectional identities targeted.

To read the full executive summary and to download the report: https://stopaapihate.org/2026/05/01/state-of-hate-may26/