Fear of Anti-Asian Hate Crime and Discrimination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Korean Community Members in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic created a racialized social crisis in which Asians and Asian Americans in the United States faced heightened discrimination and concern about hate crime victimization. Using online survey data collected from Korean community members in the United States during summer 2021, this study examines direct and indirect anti-Asian hate crime/discrimination victimization before and after COVID-19 and identifies factors associated with fear of anti-Asian hate crime/discrimination. Contrary to broader national evidence documenting increased anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, the findings indicate that both direct and indirect victimization experiences decreased after COVID-19 within this sample. Multiple regression results further show that income was negatively associated with fear of anti-Asian hate crime/discrimination, while media exposure was positively associated with fear. The findings suggest that the relatively high-income composition of the sample may have reduced exposure to public victimization opportunities during the pandemic, potentially through greater access to remote work and other protective resources. These results highlight the importance of socioeconomic vulnerability and exposure patterns in shaping victimization experiences and fear of anti-Asian hate crime/discrimination among Korean community members during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also discusses policy-relevant information based on the results.