Topline
The U.S. Census Bureau said Asian households reported not having enough food to eat due to fears of leaving their house during the coronavirus pandemic, which the agency surmised could be due to a number of factors including fears of racially motivated violence or fears of contracting Covid-19.
SEATTLE, WA – MARCH 18: Check Chen from Seattle, shops for groceries during special hours open to … [+]
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Key Facts
The data was part of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, which surveys households across the nation on employment income loss, food security and housing insecurity in an ongoing study.
The survey compared data between different ethnic households, and found that while a majority of Asian households cited not being able to have enough to eat because they were unable to afford it, the second highest reason was due to fear of leaving their home, followed by the inability to go out to buy food.
The report noted that respondents were not asked why they were afraid to leave their house, but speculated that anti-Asian hate violence over the past year played a role, along with fears of getting the Covid-19 virus, living in areas with high rates of crime and long distances to grocery stores.
The agency also said the fear of leaving the house to buy food declined for White households between 2020 and 2021, but not for Asian households.
Key Background
Asian-Americans have faced rising racially motivated hate crimes since the start of the pandemic, according to a report by the United Nations. A recent study from California State University San Bernadino found that anti-Asian hate crimes reported to authorities surged 169% across 15 major American cities, in the first quarter of 2021. And an April Pew Research poll showed that nearly half of Asian-Americans polled experienced some type of “incident” tied to their race or ethnicity since the start of the pandemic, and half of them fear violent attacks.
Tangent
The Household Pulse Survey also found that Asian households were more likely to get vaccinated against Covid-19 compared to other ethnic households. According to the survey, 85.6% of Asian respondents reported they either already received the vaccine or plan to get it, while 73.1% of White respondents, 70.3% of Hispanic respondents and 63.6% of Black respondents said the same.
Further Reading
Anti-Asian Hate Reports Surge In U.S.—But It May Be Far Worse In Canada (Forbes)
The Effects Of Covid-19 On Global Food Security (Forbes)
