The misperception of Asian subgroup representation in STEM

TL;DR

Many people in the U.S. incorrectly believe Asian Americans are uniformly overrepresented in STEM, but there are significant disparities among subgroups.

Contribution

This study reveals misperceptions of Asian subgroup STEM representation and shows how typicality beliefs shape these views.

Findings

Participants misperceived STEM representation for multiple Asian subgroups.

Misperceptions were linked to stereotypical views of East vs. Southeast Asian subgroups.

Providing information increased support for data disaggregation and equity policies.

Abstract

The stereotype that Asian Americans excel in science and math has contributed to the narrative that they are overrepresented in STEM fields. However, U.S. Census data reveals this is not the case—there are significant disparities in STEM representation across Asian subgroups. The present research investigates whether U.S. participants are aware of these disparities. In Studies 1 and 2, we show that participants misperceive the STEM representation of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Filipino, and Vietnamese subgroups. Study 3 demonstrates that these misperceptions persist despite changes in question framing and measurement. Furthermore, our findings suggest that these misperceptions are due to stereotypical expectations: participants view East Asian subgroups as more representative of Asian Americans and therefore more likely to be overrepresented in STEM, while perceiving Southeast Asian subgroups as less representative and more likely to be underrepresented. In a final study, we find that informing egalitarian-minded participants about these disparities increases support for racial equity–enhancing policies, and all participants’ support for disaggregated data about Asian subgroups. Overall, our findings indicate that many U.S. participants are unaware of the within-group disparities among Asian Americans and underscore the importance of collecting and reporting data at the subgroup level to bring these inequalities to light.

People are unaware of inequalities in Asian subgroup representation in STEM and base their perceptions on group typicality beliefs. Interventions informing about Asian STEM representation increase support for data disaggregation of Asian subgroups.

Figures