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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…

By Samantha Johnson / May 1, 2026

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.

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“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.

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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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