Reports of racial discrimination against Asians and Asian-Americans have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, coinciding with an increase in reported negative health symptoms, according to researchers.

That’s according to a new paper written by Washington State University researchers recently published in the journal Stigma and Health.

«When COVID hit, we were quickly hearing anecdotes on social media and in traditional media about Asian-Americans experiencing a variety of racial abuse,» said Sara Waters, an assistant professor in WSU’s Department of Human Development on the Vancouver campus.

To look into the scope of those anecdotes, Waters and her graduate student, Suyeon Lee, a Ph.D. candidate in WSU’s Prevention Science program, created a survey. Over 400 people responded, with almost 30% saying they experienced more discrimination since the pandemic started and 40% experienced more health impacts.

«We expected that people who experience racism would report more health issues,» Waters said. «But we were surprised by just how much that increased.»

The racial discrimination was above and beyond the increased stress levels experienced by the general public, Waters said.

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Materials provided by Washington State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.