Report: Experiences of Racism amongst East and Southeast Asian Communities in the UK and the Impacts on Health and Well-being
This research is supported by the following organisations working with East and Southeast Asian communities in the U.K.
This paper represents the first in-depth study of the experiences of racism amongst East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) people in the U.K. and how racism impacts on health and well-being. It also measures the social costs associated with racism experienced by ESEA people. The data show that ESEA people experience high levels of racism in the U.K. both during the Coronavirus pandemic but also well before it. Racism experienced by ESEA people impacts negatively on a wide range of well-being and mental health outcomes and as a whole the impacts of racism are worse for ESEA people than for other ethnic minority groups in the U.K. Racism in the workplace, in particular, has a very large negative effect on well-being for ESEA people. These negative impacts of racism on the lives of ESEA people have large social costs amounting to £36.8 billion. Although racism against ESEA people in the U.K. has often been overlooked and ignored, this study has shown that racism experienced by ESEA people is widespread, comes in many different forms and settings and is a social problem with significant negative impacts and costs to victims and society.