According to a report published by The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Asian American elderly (65 years old and older) have the lowest life satisfaction and social and emotional support compared to all other groups. The study included Asian American subgroups Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese.

Results of the survey showed life satisfaction among Asian American elderly was 54% compared with 80% for all other races/ethnicities. Similarly, 56% of Asian American elderly reported usually or always receiving social/emotional compared with 80% for all other races/ethnicities. Within Asian American subgroups, life satisfaction was the lowest for Korean Americans at 40%, followed by 48% for Chinese, 47% for Vietnamese, and 77% for Filipino elderly. Following a similar trend, among Korean elderly, 30% reported receiving needed social/emotional support, 57% among Chinese, 59% among Filipino, and 65% among Vietnamese.

Previous studies on social isolation and loneliness suggest that physicians and other primary care providers are often the only points of social contact for many Asian American elderly.

The research from The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine is unable to establish whether or not life satisfaction among Asian Americans has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic but due to the surge in anti-Asian attacks, it’s very likely that isolation has increased and life satisfaction scores have declined as a result.