A study published in January in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine reports that several groups of Asian American elders reported significantly lower levels of life satisfaction and receiving social and emotional support, compared to elders of other races.
The study was based on California survey data in 2018 and consisted of a sample size of nearly 8,200 individuals—all aged 65 years and older, including people of Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese descent. South Asians were not included in the analysis, as their sample size in the study was too small.
Compared to 80% of respondents from other races and ethnicities, only 54% of Asian American older adults surveyed said they were satisfied with their lives, Similarly, 56% of Asian American elders reported usually or always receiving needed social and emotional support compared to 80% of people of other groups. Within the AAPI community, Korean elders reported the lowest number at 40%.
The survey was done prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, social isolation and loneliness among older adults could have led to even lower levels of life satisfaction.
A new report by the Asian American Federation found that 75% of Asian older adults in New York are afraid to leave their homes due to the uptick in anti-Asian hate incidents.