Discrimination and Hate Crimes

Discrimination and hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States, causing concern and distress among various communities. This troubling trend has affected individuals and groups based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in reported incidents of discrimination and hate crimes across the country. These acts of prejudice and violence are deeply concerning, as they undermine the principles of equality and respect that our nation strives to uphold.

According to the Pew Research Center, large shares of Americans say there is at least some discrimination against several groups in the United States, including 80% who say there is a lot of or some discrimination against Black people, 76% who say this about Hispanic people and 70% who see discrimination against Asian people.

The impact of discrimination and hate crimes extends beyond the individuals directly affected. These acts not only cause physical and emotional harm to victims but also instill fear and anxiety within entire communities. They erode trust, create divisions, and hinder progress towards achieving a more inclusive and equitable society.

Fast Facts

Majorities of U.S. Asians say anti-Asian discrimination is a major problem – and that racial issues they face get too little attention (Pew Research Center).
63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system (Pew Research Center).
In the FBI's most recent report, released in March 2023, hate crimes reported in the United States increased nearly 12% in 2021 over the previous year (American Psychological Association).
Young adults who faced discrimination frequently—at least a few times per month—were around 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder and twice as likely to develop severe psychological distress than those who hadn’t experienced discrimination or did less often, according to a 2021 study in the journal Pediatrics (American Psychological Association).

Learn more about discrimination and hate crimes

Poll: 64 percent of Americans say racism remains a major problem

The poll comes after a string of high-profile incidents involving minorities who appeared to have been racially profiled while doing something innocuous.

FBI Releases 2022 Hate Crime Statistics

The 2022 hate crimes data, submitted by 14,631 law enforcement agencies, provide information about the offenses, victims, offenders, and locations of hate crimes. Of these agencies who submitted incident reports, there were 11,634 hate crime incidents involving 13,337 offenses.

Asian Americans Still Face Prejudice and Discrimination, Study Finds

Facing prejudice is, for most Asian Americans, an all-too-familiar part of life, a new report from the Pew Research Center shows.

The study, which is based on a survey of more than 7,000 respondents, found that the majority of Asian Americans think too little national attention is being paid to their experiences with discrimination.

Which groups have experienced an increase in hate crimes?

Anti-transgender and anti-Jewish hate crimes increased 35% or more between 2021 and 2022.

Majority Of White Americans Say They Believe Whites Face Discrimination

A majority of whites say discrimination against them exists in America today, according to a poll released Tuesday from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Discrimination and Barriers to Well-Being: The State of the LGBTQI+ Community in 2022

A comprehensive new CAP study finds that many LGBTQI+ people continue to face discrimination in their personal lives, employment, housing, and health care, as well as in the public sphere.

Page updated

Report abuse