The United States has been a land of opportunities for many immigrants, including Indian Americans. However, a recent survey by researchers affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has revealed a stark reality - one out of every two Indian Americans felt discriminated against in the past year. The survey was conducted between 1 September and 20 September 2020, during the final year of former US President Donald Trump's term and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey's findings were based on responses from 1,200 Indian Americans, with the most prevalent form of discrimination found to be on the basis of skin color. More than 30% of respondents reported experiencing skin color-based discrimination, with 18% of respondents reporting discrimination based on gender or religion. Muslims faced the highest degree of religious discrimination at 39%, followed by Hindus at 18% and Christians at 15%.
Moreover, the survey revealed that the term 'Indian American' is not widely accepted and is a contested identity. Only four out of ten respondents thought that the term best captured their background. This was surprising since the 'Indian American' community is a significant population in the United States, with over 4.2 million people of Indian origin living in the US, according to the 2018 American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau.
Religion also played a key role in the community, with 40% of respondents praying at least once a day, while 27% attended religious services at least once a week. Eight out of ten respondents had a spouse of Indian origin, and US-born Indian Americans were four times more likely to have a spouse of Indian-origin.
Despite being such a significant population, discrimination was found to be rampant and based on many factors. Respondents also revealed that they were discriminated against due to their Indian heritage while 5% reported discrimination due to their caste identity. Most of the caste-based discrimination was from within the community, the report noted.
While the survey compiled answers from Indian Americans with different citizenship and residency status, 77% of the respondents were US citizens. Political engagement varied according to one's citizenship status, with US-born citizens having the highest level of political engagement, followed by foreign-born US citizens, with non-citizens trailing on this metric.
The survey also found a high degree of polarization within the community, with Democrats being less comfortable being friends with Republicans. Supporters of the Congress party back in their homeland were also not as comfortable being close friends with those of the ruling BJP.
It is crucial to acknowledge the discrimination faced by Indian Americans and work towards creating an inclusive society. The surge in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in the wake of the pandemic is deeply concerning and requires immediate attention. Let us all work towards creating a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or background.
