Welcome to NAVIGATOR – a project designed to better understand the American public’s views on issues of the day and help advocates, elected officials, and other interested parties understand the language, imagery, and messaging needed to make and win key policy arguments.
This release features findings from a national online survey of 1,002 registered voters conducted March 25-29, 2021. Additional interviews were conducted among 103 Hispanic voters, 100 African American voters, 100 independents without a partisan lean, and 100 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.
Key takeaways
- Most Americans are hearing about the increase in violence against Asian Americans and view it as a very serious issue.
- The spread of fake news and conspiracies, the broader rise in hate crimes, and the increase in white supremacy and domestic terrorism are seen as major contributors to this violence.
- There is strong support for political leaders to focus on addressing violence against Asian Americans, and a variety of policies to mitigate violence also have widespread support.
Most Americans Are Hearing About Recent Violence Against Asian Americans
A majority of Americans report hearing “a lot” about violence toward Asian Americans recently.
Violence Against Asian Americans Seen as Very Serious Problem
More than three in four Americans (76%) say increased violence against Asian Americans is a serious problem, including near unanimity among Asian Americans (97%).
Strong Bipartisan Support for Political Leaders to Focus on Addressing Asian-American Violence
Across party lines, majorities of Americans say that they want political leaders to focus on the issue of violence against Asian Americans, including universal agreement among Asian Americans.
Conspiracies, Rising Hate Crime Rates, and Domestic Terrorism Seen as Top Contributors to Asian-American Violence
Asian Americans are most likely to point to the increase in racist hate crimes in recent years (91%) and stereotypes about Asian Americans (91% as the biggest contributors to violence.
Strong Support for Background Checks, Hate Crimes Legislation, and Cracking Down on Misinformation
Among Asian Americans, more than eight in ten are supportive of each of the policy responses tested.
