6 Charts That Dismantle The Trope Of Asian Americans As A Model Minority

Question

For years, the myth about Asian Americans and their perceived collective success has been used as a racial wedge. Here's a look at some common misconceptions driven by the "model minority" myth.

Answer 1

This article accurately represents the common misconceptions surrounding Asian Americans.

1.) True: "More than 22 million people of Asian descent live in the U.S., making up approximately 7% of the nation's population" (as of 2021) Asian American population grew by 81% from 2000 to 2019 

2.) Income & Economic Data: Median household income figures cited ($78,000 for Asian Americans vs $66,000 national median). Citation of Indian American households as highest-earning ($127,000) and Burmese American as lowest-earning ($46,000). Reference to 2018 Pew study showing Asian Americans as most economically divided racial group

3.) Immigration Statistics: More than half of Asian Americans were foreign-born. Approximately 1.5 million undocumented immigrants from Asia (14% of total). ICE arrest statistics (15,000 Asian immigrants from 2015-2018)

4.) Leadership Representation: 3% leadership positions vs 7% population representation

• U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.

• Pew Research Center. (2021). "Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population"
• Pew Research Center. (2018). "Income Inequality in the U.S. Is Rising Most Rapidly Among Asians"
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Current Population Survey
• Migration Policy Institute. (2021). "Unauthorized Immigrant Population Profiles"
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice. (2019). "Inside the Numbers: How Immigration Shapes Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities"
• Reflective Democracy Campaign. (2020). "The Electability Myth: The Shifting Demographics of Political Power in America"
• The New York Times. (2020). "Examining Asian American Leadership Representation in U.S."

Comments

Please always include source hyperlinks. Thanks!

Answer 2

As an Asian American myself, I have always been curious how true the model minority stereotype is and how it exists (and continues too). The NPR article is clearly well researched with many links to other reliable sources within their own article. Additionally, with a simple google search, you can find other sources that share similar charts and say nearly identical things about the model minority myth. Below, I’ve shared links that relate to each myth they debunk in the NPR article (some sources are pulled directly from the article itself).

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/29/key-facts-about-asian-origin-groups-in-the-u-s/

www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/07/12/income-inequality-in-the-u-s-is-rising-most-rapidly-among-asians/

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-unauthorized-immigrants-stablenumbers-changingorigins_final.pdf

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/04/21/one-third-of-asian-americans-fear-threats-physical-attacks-and-most-say-violence-against-them-is-rising/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/09/us/powerful-people-race-us.html