Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Study Finds Online Hate Against South Asians Surged 240%
A study looked at hateful posts about South Asians on several social media platforms.
It said this kind of hate grew sharply in the United States.
More than half a million such posts appeared on X between January 2025 and June 2026.
The researchers also found nearly 400,000 posts on smaller fringe platforms during 2025.
Many posts described South Asians using racist insults or unfair stereotypes.
Some posts blamed immigrants for taking jobs or changing the population.
The study said arguments about immigration and H-1B visas helped drive some of the hate.
It also said generative artificial intelligence made it easier to create racist pictures and spread them quickly.
A Washington-based study says online hate targeting South Asians in the United States rose 240% between January 2024 and June 2026.
More than 500,000 racist, dehumanizing, and xenophobic posts targeting South Asians appeared on X between January 2025 and June 2026.
The study identified nearly 400,000 hateful posts on 4chan, 8chan, and Gab during 2025.
Posts depicting South Asians as invaders, job thieves, or a demographic threat made up 45% of such content on X.
The slur “pajeet” appeared in 30% of relevant X posts and 45% of mentions on fringe platforms, while generative AI amplified racist imagery.
- Who
- The Center for the Study of Organized Hate studied online hate targeting South Asian Americans, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim communities.
- What
- The study reported a 240% rise in online hate against South Asians and documented hundreds of thousands of hateful posts.
- When
- The study covered January 2024 through June 2026, with detailed counts from January 2025 through June 2026 and 2025.
- Where
- The activity was recorded on X, 4chan, 8chan, Gab, and other mainstream and fringe social media platforms in the United States.
- Why
- The study attributed the increase to immigration and H-1B visa debates, political and demographic anxieties, racist rhetoric, economic resentment, xenophobic nationalism, and digital amplification.
- Reported increase
- 240% between January 2024 and June 2026
- Posts on X
- More than 500,000 targeting South Asians between January 2025 and June 2026
- Posts on fringe platforms
- Nearly 400,000 hateful and dehumanizing posts identified during 2025
- Demographic-threat narratives
- 45% of anti-South Asian hate on X
- “Pajeet” slur
- Appeared in 30% of relevant X posts and 45% of mentions on fringe platforms
- Fastest-growing narrative
- Content portraying South Asians as unclean or unhygienic rose 171% on X
- H-1B visa share
- Indians received 72.3% of H-1B visas issued by the United States in fiscal year 2023