Who's American? A Look at Stereotypes Over 17 Years

In the United States, where diversity is growing, a common stereotype is that being American means being White, while being foreign means being Asian. Researchers have been examining this stereotype for years, but this study is the largest so far, covering 17 years and over 666, 000 people. The study found that both implicitly and explicitly, people link being American with being White. However, this varied based on who was answering. White respondents had the strongest belief in this stereotype, while East Asian respondents didn't see it much at all.

Older people, Christians, and conservatives tended to have stronger beliefs in this stereotype. But interestingly, where you live can also affect this. In cities with more Asian people or a history of voting Democratic, this stereotype was weaker. Over time, from 2007 to 2023, people's beliefs in this stereotype have decreased. Both implicit and explicit beliefs have gone down by about 45%, and all demographic groups have moved towards a more neutral view. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a temporary shift. White Americans' beliefs in this stereotype increased slightly, but not for Asian Americans.

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