The rise of Asian Americans
Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - 08-07-2012
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - 08-07-2012
IF there is such a thing as "Asian values", we can get a glimpse of them from findings recently released by Pew Research Center, a non-partisan organisation in Washington, the United States.
Given that Asian immigration to the United States had surpassed that of the Hispanics in 2009, the findings of the Pew study titled, The Rise Of Asian Americans, provide a comprehensive analysis of the US Asian population compared to the general US denizens.
Compared to a century ago when "most Asian Americans were low skilled, low-wage labourers crowded into ethnic enclaves and targets of official discrimination", today the situation is markedly different. Most of them are likely to live "in mixed neighbourhoods and marry across racial lines", the study said.
The Asian share of the total population is about 5.5 per cent as opposed to less that one per cent in the mid-1960s. It is currently the fastest growing racial group. In 2010, about 36 per cent of new immigrants to US were Asians, against 31 who were Hispanics. By 2050, the Asian community is expected to be about 41 million, more than double the present size of under 20 million with Chinese being most dominant (four million), and the Filipinos and Indian with slightly more than three million each.
From 2007 to 2010, the number of Asian immigrants increased by about 10 per cent while the figure for Hispanics dropped by 31 per cent. Many of the latter are being deported due to their illegal status.
The survey found that Asians distinguished themselves from other races by subscribing to traditional family values. About 54 per cent of more than 3,500 respondents said a successful marriage is one of the most important goals in life. This is compared to 34 per cent of all adults in the US.
Sixty-five per cent of Asian respondents valued good parenting in contrast to about 50 per cent of the general population.
About 62 per cent believe that most American parents do not put enough pressure on their children to do well at school. Asian values are reflected in the way they bring up their children. The issue of Asian tiger mums has, however, somewhat skewed the notion of "putting pressure".
Given that Asian immigration to the United States had surpassed that of the Hispanics in 2009, the findings of the Pew study titled, The Rise Of Asian Americans, provide a comprehensive analysis of the US Asian population compared to the general US denizens.
Compared to a century ago when "most Asian Americans were low skilled, low-wage labourers crowded into ethnic enclaves and targets of official discrimination", today the situation is markedly different. Most of them are likely to live "in mixed neighbourhoods and marry across racial lines", the study said.
The Asian share of the total population is about 5.5 per cent as opposed to less that one per cent in the mid-1960s. It is currently the fastest growing racial group. In 2010, about 36 per cent of new immigrants to US were Asians, against 31 who were Hispanics. By 2050, the Asian community is expected to be about 41 million, more than double the present size of under 20 million with Chinese being most dominant (four million), and the Filipinos and Indian with slightly more than three million each.
From 2007 to 2010, the number of Asian immigrants increased by about 10 per cent while the figure for Hispanics dropped by 31 per cent. Many of the latter are being deported due to their illegal status.
The survey found that Asians distinguished themselves from other races by subscribing to traditional family values. About 54 per cent of more than 3,500 respondents said a successful marriage is one of the most important goals in life. This is compared to 34 per cent of all adults in the US.
Sixty-five per cent of Asian respondents valued good parenting in contrast to about 50 per cent of the general population.
About 62 per cent believe that most American parents do not put enough pressure on their children to do well at school. Asian values are reflected in the way they bring up their children. The issue of Asian tiger mums has, however, somewhat skewed the notion of "putting pressure".
Although Asian children are more likely to be raised in a two parent home and live in a multi-generational family, the tradition is dying in many of its communities.
The survey said Asians value work more than Americans as a whole, emphasising material success and career, and the former offer positive stereotypes such as being more educated and wealthier. Many work in high income sectors such as Science, Medicine, Engineering and Finance. In 2010, US universities awarded 45 per cent of Science and Engineering degrees to Asians, according to the report. Generally, more than 60 per cent of the US Asian population have a tertiary education qualification or a degree.
The attitudes of the Millennial (those born between 1982 and 2003) towards family, work and security (especially after the 911 tragedy) may skew the figures due to the recession.
The findings indicated that the respondents were more satisfied with their lives (82 against 72 per cent) and personal finance (51 against 35 per cent). They are the highly skilled workforce of the 21st century, notwithstanding their traditional values, on whom the US is beginning to rely upon. The study said that Asians are three times as likely as immigrants from other parts of the globe to get US permanent residency on the basis of employment instead of family ties. Economics play a role in the shift. The median annual household income among Asians is considerably higher than the general population.
"Asians exceed Americans on educational credentials and socioeconomic markers of success despite being predominantly first-generation immigrants," noted Pew executive president and editor of the report Paul Taylor.
Nevertheless, there are also deprived Asian populations in the US, many of whom are refugees. The Koreans and Vietnamese have a higher poverty rate than the average American and the Chinese is the poorest. The remaining ethnicities consist of Indians, Japanese and Filipinos who are more well off than their counterparts. About 83 per cent of the total US population trace their roots to these ancestries.
Overall, Asians are much more satisfied with the general direction of the US than the rest. Asians too have a more positive attitude towards the Ameriacn government perhaps with reference to their home countries. Generally, this too expresses Asian values.
- The writer is the vice-chancellor of Albukhary International University