Gallup poll: Fewer Americans OK with how Asian people are treated

July 29 (UPI) -- More Americans disapprove of the way Asian people are treated in the wake of a string of violent attacks, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

The poll found that 46% of Americans are satisfied with the way society treats Asian people -- down from 60% last year. Gallup's surveys have found satisfaction has been declining since 2016. Previously, more than 7 in 10 Americans were satisfied with society's treatment of Asian people.

The poll, conducted June 1 through July 5, comes after a spate of violence against Asian people in the United States. They have been targeted as scapegoats for the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in China.

Earlier this month, a woman was arrested after reportedly striking a 6-year-old Korean American boy while yelling "China" outside of a shopping mall in Las Vegas. Last month, a 94-year-old Asian woman was hospitalized after being stabbed multiple times in San Francisco.

In March, eight people, including six of Asian descent, were killed a gunman opened fire at three Atlanta-area spas.

The violence has sparked protests around the country.

In May, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to expedites prosecution of hate crimes against Asian Americans and establishes methods to report incidents online.

Gallup's poll found that half of White people and 44% of Hispanic Americans were satisfied with the treatment of Asian people. That was lower among Black Americans, 30% of whom were satisfied with the treatment of Asian people. However, satisfaction was down among all three groups.

The poll found that just over half of Americans are satisfied with the treatment of women and Jewish people. It also found that 68% of Americans are satisfied with the treatment of White people.

However, the poll found that Americans are not fully satisfied with the treatment of most groups, with Gallup recording a larger decline than previous results. Over the last two decades, Gallup has not found any improvements in how Americans perceive how groups are treated.