Experts: Asian population overcount masks community nuances

By TERRY TANG and MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Officials say they overcounted the Asian population by 2.6% in the 2020 U.S. census. Some academics and advocates believe that may not be all that it seems on the surface. They say it likely masks great variation in who was counted among different Asian American communities. And they say that the seemingly high participation by Asians may mark a rise in biracial residents who identify as Asian. Experts say grouping Asian communities together under the same race category in the census conceals their wide variety of income, education and health backgrounds. They say it also perpetuates the “model minority” myth of all Asians being affluent and well-educated.