Breaking the silence: how Asian Americans cope with discrimination
Asian Americans are often stereotyped as quiet, passive and conflict-avoidant—but a new University of Michigan study challenges that narrative.
In a qualitative exploration of how Asian Americans cope with discrimination, U-M researchers found that participants use a wide range of strategies, many of which directly confront harm and affirm identity.
The study found that contrary to earlier findings suggesting Asian Americans rely mostly on avoidance strategies, such as suppression or withdrawal, approach coping strategies are not only common, but often seen as more desirable and effective by participants.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, racial discrimination against Asian Americans has surged. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 32 Asian American adults across the United States, the study reveals a variety of discriminatory experiences, ranging from blatant verbal harassment such as being told to “go back to your country” to more subtle forms of bias and microaggressions.
In response, participants said they employed two major categories of coping strategies: approach and avoidance.
Approach coping includes behaviors such as confronting perpetrators, seeking support, reflecting on and learning from the experience, and reinforcing one’s ethnic or racial identity. While some of these strategies have been observed in prior research, the study identifies new forms of approach coping not typically captured in existing coping scales—such as using silence strategically to provoke perpetrators’ reflection on their own discriminatory behaviors, discrediting perpetrators as ignorant or insecure, and actively engaging with one’s ethnic identity in affirming ways.
Avoidance coping, by contrast, involves staying silent to avoid conflict, minimizing the incident or mentally disengaging to reduce distress. Some participants said they feared retaliation or physical danger, especially amid rising anti-Asian hate incidents.
Still, several who had stayed silent said they later regretted it and wished they had spoken up, not only to assert themselves but to make racism and discrimination more visible. Others who confronted perpetrators expressed some ambivalence, wondering whether a less direct response might have been more effective. Yet many acknowledged the importance of challenging the stereotype of Asian Americans as subdued or incapable of anger.
The study broadens the understanding of what “seeking support” looks like. Participants turned to a wide variety of sources—not just family or close friends, but co-workers, affinity groups, non-Asian people of color and even online communities. Belonging to the same ethnic group or being emotionally close weren’t always what mattered most.
One participant said that a friend of the same ethnicity, who lived in a less diverse area, was less helpful than a colleague from another marginalized group who understood the experience of racism firsthand.
“This suggests that perceptions of effective support depend on shared social context and identity, not just ethnicity or intimacy,” said co-author Ashley Ke, U-M alumna in psychology.
Importantly, participants also described how their racial and ethnic identity became a source of action and resilience. Drawing on identity-threat response theory, the authors observed that identity was not a fixed trait, but something participants protected, enriched and redefined when threatened.
Some participants reacted to discrimination by emphasizing the positive meaning of their identity, seeking out spaces to express it, or deepening their understanding through reading, talking to elders or engaging in cultural practices.
In contrast to earlier research that documented identity-avoidant behaviors—like downplaying ethnicity, withdrawing from community groups or altering one’s appearance to “fit in”—this study found no such patterns.
“In fact, participants did the opposite,” said co-author Mari Kira, U-M assistant professor of psychology. “Discrimination appeared to intensify their motivation to connect with their identity. “
The findings challenge assumptions about how Asian Americans cope with racism and highlight gaps in existing psychological frameworks. For example, strategic silence—used by some participants to force reflection or deflect escalation—has rarely been captured in traditional coping models. Nor have identity-affirming responses like reclaiming cultural pride.
“Our findings suggest that existing coping frameworks may overlook culturally specific strategies,” said co-author Fiona Lee, professor of psychology. “There is a need for more inclusive tools to capture how different groups respond to identity-based threats.