Asian/Asian American Youth

Introduction

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic minority group in the United States (U.S.). As a group, they have multiplied eightfold from 1.4 million in 1970 to 11.9 million in 2000, and are projected to increase to 20 million by 2020. Although they are only 3.6% of the U.S. population, their numbers increased 72% between 1990 and 2000, outpacing every other racial/ethnic group in the country. Moreover, Asian Americans account for one-third of all immigrant arrivals since the 1970s. As a result, the number of Asian immigrant youths in the U.S. has increased significantly.

The term “Asian American” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including over 40 distinct ethnicities, that include Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Pakistani, Korean, Hmong, Bangladeshi, and Cambodian. While Pacific Islanders are separated from Asian Americans in the U.S. Census, they are...