Many Asian-Americans feel excluded from ‘true’ US identity, survey finds

Matt King, a 34-year-old graphic designer living in New York, has long grappled with his identity as the son of a Canadian-Chinese mother and white…

Matt King, a 34-year-old graphic designer living in New York, has long grappled with his identity as the son of a Canadian-Chinese mother and white father.

Despite being born in the US and raised in Los Angeles, he is aware that mainstream US society does not always see him as a bona fide US citizen.

“You’ll always get … a sprinkling of this ‘you’re not truly American’,” the 34-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York, said, prompting him to claim his own definition.

“To me, being an American is carving out that third space, like what aspects of public life are you allowed.”

While half of Americans on the whole said a key part of being considered “truly” American was being born in the US — along with a sizeable percentage who included being white and Christian — that number dropped to 23 per cent among Asian-Americans, according to a survey released on Friday.

The findings suggest deep concern within the community over being treated as hardworking and well educated but not necessarily “one of us”.

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