Table 2 Participants’ responses, constructs, and definitions

Construct and Definition

Proportion of comments on types of racism

n = 65

A/AA vs non-Asian

Selected Quotes

Political discrimination

Participant identifies a negative political climate in correlation with systemic racism and racist commentary made by political authorities.

n = 5 (7.7%)

A/AA, n = 0, 0%

non-Asian, n = 5, 7.7%

Reported by non-Asian (White)

I’d ask how Trump referring to COVID-19 as the “Wuhan Virus”, ‘Chinese Virus”, and “Kung Flu” impacts opinions.

Reported by non-Asian (White)

“The current social climate is very tumultuous with acts of racism from the police and political racism against Chinese people about the virus. I think it is important for these conversations to happen because being passive is just allowing these problems to continue to exist. People need to understand what is okay and what is not okay.”

Construct and Definition

Selected Quotes

Direct:

Overt Discrimination: a blatant act of prejudice experienced by the participant directly (ie: verbal or physical abuse)

n = 1 (1.5%)

A/AA, n = 1, 1.5%

non-Asian, n = 0, 0.0%

Reported by A/AA:

“Got called a few racial slurs while walking in the streets because I am Chinese. They used the word “chink” quite a bit. Not sure if this is due to COVID or just generalized racism but I’m sure COVID didn’t help.”

Direct:

Covert microaggressions:

subtle, unintentionally offensive acts of prejudice experienced by the participant

n = 11 (16.9%)

A/AA, n = 10, 15.4%

non-Asian, n = 1, 1.5%

Reported by A/AA:

“I was at the mall with 3 other friends, we are all Asian. This one kiosk worker did not approach us about the product they were selling, but when a white couple walked by and they were offered the product. Being sick with something other than COVID and having to figure out how to avoid getting COVID while getting necessary care is stressful. It is also hard living with people who are not taking it seriously.”

Vicarious

In-person vicarious discrimination:

a blatant act of prejudice witnessed by the participant that was not personally experienced by the participant

n = 35 (53.8%)

A/AA, n = 4, 6.2%

non-Asian, n = 31, 47.7%

Reported by A/AA

“It was scary to hear about my acquaintance getting screamed at and physically assaulted (pushed) in the town where we grew up. I never experienced significant discrimination growing up so this seems so far out of the ordinary.”

Reported by non-Asian (Black):

“When I was on public transportation, I witnessed verbal abuse to someone I assumed was of Asian descent - an older male who was verbally assaulted by a young woman who was also a person of color.

Reported by non-Asian (White)

“I have a few younger cousins that are Asian American, as well as my partner who is Cuban/Cambodian, and they have all received extreme criticism for their races and have been verbally or physically assaulted because of their heritage. My youngest cousins are 2 and 5 years old and have been kicked out of their preschool because of their race.”

Vicarious:

Online vicarious discrimination:

participant recalls prejudicial comments made against Asian Americans on social media platforms

n = 9 (13.8%)

A/AA, n = 4, 6.2%

non-Asian, n = 5, 7.7%

Reported by A/AA (Total number 4)

“I think there’s a lot of xenophobia on social media where racism is rampant. While I understand social media users, as a whole, do not have a super high education attainment, but the ignorance and blunt racism still strike me.”

Reported by non-Asian (White)

“Admittedly, it has been frustrating to see and hear such incongruous “news” headlines and rhetoric surrounding this virus. There is an exorbitant amount of information that has been so clouded and distorted by political divide, international relations, and social commentary that I cannot form any resident theory about the ACTUAL state of things in the world, our country, my state, or my county. Such distortion and divide in place, the entire situation has only been made more stressful and contentious, which has made it personally more difficult to deal with this unfolding situation.”

Construct and Definition

Selected Quotes

Internalized discrimination:

People of colors’ internalized racism often leads to great conflict among and between them as other concepts of power—such as ethnicity, culture, nationality and class—are collapsed in misunderstanding

n = 4 (6.2%)

A/AA, n = 4, 6.2%

non-Asian, n = 0, 0%

Reported by A/AA (Total number 4):

“I personally would never call or support those who call COVID-19 the Chinese virus, but the source of the virus is important given where we live and how the world is built upon supremacy and racism. However, thinking about how my people might lose their loved ones because one of my fellow Asians decided to eat a bat or pangolin is uneasy to me and gives me a considerable amount of regret and stress. As a person who calls both countries home, I’m conflicted by the voices I hear every day. China is the place that gave me my childhood and my parents, yet it also allegedly spread the virus and concealed information from the world. On the other side is where I consider my home, and it’s currently being invaded.”

Fear

n = 8 (44.4%)

A/AA, n = 6, 33.3%

non-Asian, n = 2, 11.1%

Reported by A/AA

“I haven’t faced discrimination, but I also haven’t left the house closed to for 4 weeks …. In fact, I fear leaving the house because I have heard reports of multiple attacks in and around my neighborhood.”

Reported by non-Asian (White)

“General fear and anger my Asian and Asian-American friends have that live in NYC, due to reports of assaults and experiencing verbal assault themselves.”

Anxiety/Distress

n = 5 (27.8%)

A/AA, n = 2, 11.1%

non-Asian, n = 3, 16.7%

Report from A/AA

“For me personally, I have a heightened sense of anxiety when I go out. I feel like I’m almost hyper-aware of non-Asians around me because I’m afraid someone is going to lash out at me because of my ethnicity. No one has verbally or physically attacked me yet but I’ve seen so many stories and videos of others being attacked. It scares me.”

Report from non-Asian (White)

My partner, who is Chinese, has experienced a higher level of anxiety, and I have experienced a higher level of anxiety because of their anxiety.

Hopelessness/Depression

n = 4 (22.2%)

A/AA, n = 1, 5.6%

non-Asians, n = 3, 16.7%

Report from A/AA

“Despite not being personally assaulted verbally/physically due to my race, those comments, videos or news articles online (both within China and outside China) made me feel depressed from time to time”.

Report from non-Asian

“It is exhausting and almost makes me feel hopeless. Even though racism is being exposed in institutions, public figures, and authority, there is denial and resistance to reform them which makes me feel distressed about it.”

Avoidance

n = 1 (5.6%)

A/AA, n = 1, 5.6%

non-Asians, n = 0, 0%

Report from A/AA (Total number 1)

“I have also adjusted my lifestyle (going out in public less or going with my white husband) to avoid discrimination. I stayed home from work one day because my asthma was acting up and I didn’t want to be seen coughing or showing any symptoms of illness because I am the only Asian staff member at my workplace of 100.”