A majority of Chinese Americans face racial bias, fueled by elevated tensions between the world’s two largest economies as they spar over trade, supply chains and geopolitics, according to a new survey.

The finding was part of the survey by New York-based Committee of 100 and the University of Chicago’s NORC, in which 68% of Chinese Americans said they face at least one form of discrimination every month, and 85% of them perceive the prejudice to be based on their race, ethnicity, accent, or name. While 27% of the survey respondents said they experienced verbal insults, 21% said the unwelcome behavior extended to physical threats or harassment.

The State of Chinese Americans Survey 2024 also found that a large proportion of the community, especially the youth and women, continue to struggle with mental health as a result of the discrimination on a regular basis. In all, 504 adults of Chinese American ethnicity were surveyed, with 50% of the respondents reporting having felt hopeless in the month before the poll, 43% experiencing depression, and 39% feeling worthless.

The results show that tensions between the U.S. and China, along with political- and media-rhetoric have had a negative impact on how Chinese Americans are treated by acquaintance and coworkers. Relations between the world’s largest economies have soured in recent years over Beijing’s aggression toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea, as well as Washington’s campaign to cut China off from high-tech chips and pharmaceutical supply chains.

While there were 24.2 million Asian Americans in the US as of 2022, Chinese Americans constituted the largest share within that group at 24%, or about 5.8 million people.

Four in five of the survey respondents said they are concerned about the language and rhetorics used by the presidential candidates when they refer to China and US-China relationship. A resounding 61% said the language used by American media in their reporting about China and bilateral relations negatively affects how strangers treat them, and about a quarter said their relationship with acquaintances and coworkers have also been impacted.

“Understanding the mental health, discrimination and political perspectives of Chinese Americans is essential to create inclusive and informed policies,” said Cindy Tsai, interim president of the Committee of 100, a Chinese American advocacy group. “These insights not only enrich political dialogue but also foster a more equitable society.”

Respondents were presented with 49 questions covering topics as wide as their experience of discrimination, political engagement and opinions on China-US relation.

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