U.S.-born Older Asians’ Diminishing Health Advantage Relative to Other Racial Groups, 2005-2022

In “U.S.-born Older Asians’ Diminishing Health Advantage Relative to Other Racial Groups, 2005-2022,” Leafia Zi Ye and Hui Zheng examine data from the American Community Survey and find that, on a wide range of indicators related to economic and social well-being, U.S.-born older Asians have experienced stagnation and decline instead of improvement — and that these patterns have negative implications for their health. The authors call particular attention to the fact that U.S.-born older Asians without a college degree, a group that starkly contrasts with the “model minority” stereotype, have experienced an increase in disability in the last two decades. All of this indicates the need for more research that challenges traditional stereotypes and centralizes the diverse and changing experience of Asian Americans.

Leafia Zi Ye is CGSP affiliate faculty and Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

Citation

Ye, L. Z. & Zheng, H. (2025). U.S.-born Older Asians’ Diminishing Health Advantage Relative to Other Racial Groups, 2005-2022, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf088

Abstract

Objectives

Previous studies have shown that Asian Americans have lower disability and mortality rates than other racial/ethnic groups, indicating a more favorable health profile. This phenomenon is often attributed to the large proportion of Asians being foreign-born and positively selected. However, the health status of U.S.-born older Asians and its trend over time remain unclear.

Methods

We used data from the American Community Survey to describe changes in age-adjusted disability prevalence among native-born older Asians relative to other racial/ethnic groups since 2005.

Results

Although U.S.-born Asians aged 50 and older had lower disability prevalence than other racial/ethnic groups in 2005-09, their prevalence stagnated over time, while other groups experienced reductions. Consequently, the health advantage of U.S.-born older Asians diminished between 2005 and 2022. A key explanation for this phenomenon is a relative decline in socioeconomic status (SES) among older Asians compared to Whites over time. Asians experienced stagnation in high school attainment and a clear decline in the proportion of the population above the bottom income quintile, while Whites (and most others) experienced improvement in both SES measures. Furthermore, U.S.-born older Asians with low SES experienced an increase in disability, a trend not observed in any other racial or nativity group. We found suggestive evidence that declining community and family support among native-born older Asians may have also eroded their health advantage.

Discussion

The “model minority” stereotype increasingly misrepresents the well-being of U.S.-born older Asians, a population that requires further research attention.