INCITE Research Outline Alina, CJ, Emily, Nabiha July 12 2019

Abstract Hypothesis: Asian immigrants’ country of origin (specifically South Asian, Southeast Asian, and East Asian) shapes multiple aspects of their financial experiences in New York City, including their income level, occupation, amount of remittances, and the presence or absence of family obligations.

Background and Significance Background information on South, Southeast, and East Asian immigrant population groups in NYC: Literature review (articles and national data on Asian immigrants’ statistics): • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/20/why-asian-americans- arent-as-rich-as-they- seem/?noredirect=on&utm_campaign=pubexchange_article&utm_medium=referral&utm _source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_term=.e9284c694c14 o “Model Asian” stereotype o Large category of Asians with high education and financial status does not hold true for all Asians • Large discrepancies among Asian immigrants’ financial statuses o https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AAPI- IncomePoverty.pdf ▪ Statistics show large discrepancies among Asian immigrants’ financial statuses, including per capita and median household income levels Significance: • The “Model Asian” stereotype popularized/supported by the success of certain groups of Asian immigrants in the United States o Differences in occupations and income levels among Asian immigrants in the United States reveal (financially) that the “Model Asian” stereotype is not true for all Asian groups => overgeneralization • Research plans to investigate the specific divergences among different Asian immigrant populations’ financial experiences* o Financial experiences refer to immigrants’ income levels and expenditure behaviors, categories of occupations, amount and type of remittances, and the amount of finances dedicated to family obligations

Design: Data and Method Research question: To what extent does the country of origin of Asian immigrant populations in New York City affect their financial experiences there? Neighborhoods to consider: • Chinatown (Manhattan) • Flushing

• Jackson Heights • Little Manila • Woodside • Sunset Park Research approaches: • Purposive surveying of sample groups represented of each Asian immigrant population of interest o Method: visit ethnic enclaves/concentrations and survey immigrants there o Survey content/Information obtained from survey: ▪ Country of origin (qualitative variable) ▪ Income range (quantitative variable) ▪ Remittance (per year) (quantitative variable) and types of remittance • Range/percentage of finances dedicated to fulfilling family obligations (quantitative variable) • Interviewing immigrants in areas mentioned above o Method: incorporate ethnographic o Narratives and descriptions of financial experiences specific to individual immigrants ▪ Specific experiences with job searching (and how that correlates with their country of origin) ▪ Specific experiences with jobs ▪ Satisfaction with jobs or income levels ▪ Feelings about remittances

Discussion and Conclusion Anticipated limitations: • Sample not representative o People from country of origin is uneven o Total number of participants is small o Integrity/insight of responses limited