One-in-five Asian American adults say they have hidden a part of their heritage – cultural customs, food, clothing or religious practices – from non-Asians at some point in their lives. Fear of ridicule and a desire to fit in are common reasons they give for doing this, according to a Pew Research Center survey of Asian adults in the United States conducted from July 2022 to January 2023.
- Korean Americans are more likely than some other Asian origin groups to say they have hidden part of their heritage. One-in-four Korean adults (25%) say they have done this, compared with smaller shares of Chinese (19%), Vietnamese (18%), Filipino (16%) and Japanese (14%) adults.
- Asian Americans ages 18 to 29 are about twice as likely as older Asian adults to have hidden their culture. About 39% of Asian adults under 30 have hidden their culture, food, religion or clothing from non-Asians. About one-in-five Asians ages 30 to 49 (21%) have done this, as have 12% of Asians 50 to 64 and 5% of those 65 and older.
- Asian adults who are Democrats or lean Democratic are much more likely than those who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party to have hidden their identity. Among Asian adults, 29% of Democrats have hidden their culture from others, compared with 9% of Republicans.
- Asian Americans who primarily speak English are more likely than those who primarily speak the language of their Asian origin country to have hidden part of their heritage. Some 29% of English-dominant Asian adults have hidden their heritage, versus 14% of those who are bilingual and 9% who primarily speak their Asian origin language.
Why some Asian Americans hide their heritage
Asian Americans who said they have hidden part of their heritage also shared why they did so. Some of the most common reasons were a feeling of embarrassment or a lack of understanding from others.
However, different immigrant generations also cited various other reasons for hiding their culture:
- Many recent Asian immigrants said they have tried to fit into the U.S. and fear that others may judge them negatively for sharing their heritage.
- U.S.-born Asian Americans with immigrant parents often said they hid their heritage when they were growing up to fit into a predominantly White society. Some in this generation mentioned wanting to avoid reinforcing stereotypes about Asians.
- Some multiracial Asian Americans and those with more distant immigrant roots (third generation or higher) said they had at times hidden their heritage to pass as White.
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Personal Question: Are you an Asian- American? If so have you hidden part of your heritage to Non-Asians at some point in your life?
For me I have always been proud of my Filipino heritage and have no feeling of inferiority to Caucasians and Other races since birth and until today. At times, I even feel superior to others because of my education and up- bringing in the Philippines in the 1940's. I have no fear of flaunting my Filipino ancestry. Although I have experienced two episodes of discrimination during my more than six decades of life here in the US because of how I look, I was able to overcome it and achieved a successful career with FDA. I was the First Filipino-American Chemist to achieved a GS-14 Expertise on Anti-fungal, Anti-Malarial and Anti-Parasitic Drug Products. I was the first Filipino-American Elected to the United States Pharmacopeia Council of Experts serving for two 5-years consecutive terms.
If you are an Asian American this PBS documentary film series is must to view.
Asian Americans is a five-hour PBS documentary film series made by ITVS, WETA, and the Center for Asian American Media. The series focus on the history of Asian and Asian American people in the United States and first aired on May 11, 2020. It received a Peabody Award in 2021.
