Poll finds anti-Asian discrimination in Canada has gotten worse

A new poll has found that anti-Asian racism in Canada is seen as widespread and has worsened over the past year.

The Angus Reid poll found that 71 per cent of Asian respondents said that racism and discrimination have gotten worse over the past year, while 55 per cent of non-Asian respondents agreed it has gotten worse.

2:10 Hidden Hate: The rise of anti-Asian racism in B.C.

Among the Asian respondents, 58 per cent said they have seen or heard anti-Asian messages while 31 per cent said they’ve been in situations where they’ve been treated with less respect than others.

Sixty-one per cent say they have adjusted their routines in order to avoid run-ins or unpleasant encounters since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

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Thirteen per cent say they’ve been threatened or intimidated.

The poll also found younger people reported more incidents of racism and discrimination.

“If you’re younger — if you’re a student, if you’re someone who’s working in the service industry or an essential worker or more likely to sort of just be on the frontlines in the community, maybe you’re depending on public transit so you’re out and about — you’re on the street more,” Shachi Kurl of the Angus Reid Institute said.

“You’re more likely to be having exposure to these types of instances.”