Report puts data to experience of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Mass.

Massachusetts residents of Asian and Pacific Island descent are the fastest-growing racial group in the state, numbering more than a half million people. Yet a new report shows many experience discrimination, lack a sense of “belonging” and are being overlooked by the major political parties.

“Data indicates that Asian Americans are outspoken on these issues, that they have views on them, that they're acting politically,” said Paul Watanabe, University of Massachusetts, Boston professor and co-author of the report. “They just haven't been counted. They have been erased, they've been invisible in this process.”

Watanabe said the report, titled “No Longer Invisible,” provides long-overdue insight into the political behaviors and policy positions among Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

More than 80% of survey respondents reported being registered to vote in Massachusetts. Of all the respondents, a majority (56%) identified as Democrats, while 20% identified as Republicans.

The respondents reported broad opposition to Trump administration policies, including the president’s effort to end birthright citizenship and programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Views varied on mass deportations, but 61% said they disagreed with the administration’s immigration policies.

Watanabe, director of the UMass Boston Institute for Asian American Studies, said this is the first comprehensive survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander American communities in Massachusetts. Conducted in March by the MassINC Polling Group, the survey gathered responses via phone interviews, text invitations and online submissions from 1,417 Massachusetts residents with roots in China, India, Vietnam, Nepal, and Korea and Native Hawaiians.

According to the report, race, ethnicity and immigration status are the top three reasons why some Asian and Pacific Islander residents in Massachusetts say they don’t feel accepted in American society.

That those who reported a low sense of belonging were twice as likely to have experienced discrimination — including being on the receiving end of slurs or verbal harassment, and in the worst cases threatened with physical assault.

Nearly one in four respondents said they experienced discrimination, according to MassINC Polling Group Research Director Mahashraya Bowen. But most said they did not report it to authorities, largely due to fear of retaliation or unwanted attention.

“ I think there is room for all the organizations who work tirelessly to serve APIA communities,” Bowen said, by making resources available and informing people they can report incidents to the group Stop AAPI Hate.

As a group, Asian and Pacific Islander residents share many of the same concerns as the rest of the Massachusetts population.

Economy and the cost of living ranked as the top concern among 32% of respondents. Housing came second, followed by public infrastructure, taxes and access to education and health care.

It was conducted in partnership with the Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission, the Asian Community Fund at the Boston Foundation, as well as the Asian Pacific Islander’s Civic Action Network, and the UMass institute Watanabe runs.

The survey marks the first major effort to drill down among Asian and Pacific Islander voices in Massachusetts by subgroups, including Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese Americans, according to the Commission.

This survey comes ahead of a new state law that will take effect in January 2026, which will require state agencies that already collect data on race and ethnicity to gather more detailed information about Massachusetts’ diverse populations.

While the survey shows broad opposition to the Trump administration’s policies, Indian Americans were more likely than other subgroups to support mass deportation efforts, according to Bowen.

Vietnamese Americans, by contrast, expressed the strongest opposition to the increased deportation effort, despite being less likely to identify as Democrats.

“It's not entirely partisanship. There are other things that drive what people's opinions are on these, and this group is definitely not a monolith,” Bowen said.

Researchers acknowledged some limitations in the survey. It was offered in only four languages — English, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Khmer — which limited some participation.

While many groups were represented, including Japanese, Korean, and Filipino Americans, the data only separated out results for Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese respondents due to sample size. Other nationalities were grouped into an “other” category.

“That limitation is real, but so is our commitment to doing better,” said Shubhecchha Dhaurali, program and research director at the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission of Massachusetts.

Looking ahead, Dhaurali said, the commission plans to translate findings into more languages, bring data back to communities, and host listening sessions.

“Our hope is that the survey lays the groundwork for deeper, broader, and more inclusive data moving forward so that every voice, every story and community is recognized deeper,” Dhaurali said.