Last month, Bread for the World offered a PDF press release that highlights poverty and social indicators among Asian-Pacific Americans, and “examines the latest data on hunger, poverty, and immigration in this growing ethnic community.”
In general, “Asian-Pacific Americans fare better than the general U.S. population in many poverty and social indicators,” according to analysis released by the Bread for the World Institute. In 2008, the poverty rate was at 11.8 percent compared with 13.2 percent in the United States overall. Yet, extreme poverty was at 5.5 percent compared with 5.7 percent in the US. In terms of the median insurance and education, APAs were above the median for both categories, but the percentage of uninsured APAs was higher than the median (possibly because of higher rates of self-employment and employment in small firms).
Issues of poverty and hunger are close to my heart, and connected to my faith. I find that one of the simplest, and most important acts of faith I can do is to donate canned goods, serve in local soup kitchens, or volunteer at a food pantry — and encourage others, too. So, it was compelling to see how this issue impacts the APA community; though statistics are helpful, I am curious about that percentage who experience poverty and extreme poverty on a regular basis, especially the faces and stories of that particular demographic.
(Flickr photo credit: James Fischer)
