Who Is American? Demographic and Social-Contextual Correlates of Identification as a “Typical” American Among Diverse Asian Americans

Asian Americans are at risk for marginalization and lower rates of American identification. This descriptive study examines demographic and social-contextual correlates of identifying as a “typical” American across diverse Asian American adults (n = 3,511). Asian American immigrants exhibited lower identification than U.S.-born Asian Americans. Korean Americans demonstrated the lowest rate of identification but were the only subgroup for which “typical” American identification was tied to satisfaction with life. Male gender, lower employment status, U.S. citizenship, U.S.-born status, time in the United States, lower perceived success for Asian Americans, lower group discrimination, and home ownership were associated with identifying as a typical American for the full Asian American sample. Results are considered in relation to marginalization, psychological meaningfulness underlying self-identification, and practical relevance.