IN a groundbreaking survey of 658 Chinese and South Asian British Columbians conducted by Insights West through the Your Insights Multicultural Panel, more than four-in-five respondents say they have faced some form of discrimination as a result of their ethnicity.
The online survey of a representative sample from the recently launched Your Insights Multicultural Panel shows that only 16% of Chinese and South Asian British Columbians say they have not experienced discrimination as a result of their ethnicity. More than half (56%) have experienced a “small amount” of discrimination, while 6% describe the discrimination they have encountered as “significant” and a further 19% deem it “moderate.”
South Asian British Columbians are more likely to report experiencing “significant” or “moderate” discrimination (36%) than Chinese British Columbians (22%).
“In our first-ever survey of its kind, we were surprised to find that a significant number of Chinese and South Asians have experienced discrimination at some point in their lives here,” says Steve Mossop, President of Insights West. “The good news is that the majority have experienced only small amounts but, still, to have a quarter of this segment of the population experience a moderate or significant amount is not something that our society should be proud of.”
Most Chinese and South Asian British Columbians (56%) say they have suffered stereotyping “frequently” or “sometimes” as a result of their ethnicity, while about a third have endured poor customer service (36%) or been the subject of a racial joke (33%).
More than one-in-four Chinese and South Asian British Columbians say they have “frequently” or “sometimes” been excluded from consideration as dating prospects (28%), been excluded from social groups (also 28%), were verbally harassed (27%), were subject to name calling and racial slurs (26%), or were mocked or ridiculed (also 26%) because of their ethnicity.
In addition, 28% of Chinese and South Asian British Columbians say they have “frequently” or “sometimes” lost a potential employment opportunity because of their ethnicity, while 24% claim to have been treated unfairly in the workplace.
Significantly fewer Chinese and South Asian British Columbians say they have “frequently” or “sometimes” encountered violence or physical harassment (11%), been denied goods and services (9%), or were denied facilities and accommodation (also 9%) because of their ethnicity.
Chinese and South Asian British Columbians aged 55 and over are more likely to have faced unfair treatment in the workplace (34%) than their younger counterparts. Also, South Asians are also more likely to cite discrimination at the workplace (28%) than Chinese (23%).
There is a sizeable gender gap on the question related to exclusion from consideration as a dating prospect. While more than a third of male Chinese and South Asian British Columbians (37%) say they have experienced this type of discrimination, the proportion is decidedly lower for their female counterparts (19%).
