In the face of anti-Asian hate: Asian-Canadians' experiences of victimization, perceptions of the police and likelihood of reporting

An increase in anti-Asian hate crimes was observed across Canada after the emergence of COVID-19. The increase in hate crimes highlights a need to understand how Asian-Canadians perceive the police and the factors that influence their perceptions. Further, it underscores the importance of reporting and identifying the factors that impact the likelihood to report. The current study employed ordinary least squares regression to address these questions and determine if any differences exist between Asian respondents' and non-Asian respondents' perceptions of the police and likelihood to report. Findings suggest that vicarious police encounters play a significant role in shaping perceptions of the police. Reporting is not equally influenced by different measures of perceptions of the police, emphasizing the need consider multiple aspects of measures that tap into perceptions. Further, reporting is most significantly impacted by personal experiences of hate victimization, which decrease the likelihood of reporting.