Morris Branch members volunteer with the New Jersey Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Commission, reaching out to Chinese communities to participate in a survey to shape new legislation with the voice of the Chinese community.
The proportion of the Asian population has been steadily increasing, now reaching 11%. However, due to a lack of information on Asians, especially Chinese people, legislation involving Asians in the state has always lacked a data foundation. Asian participation in surveys has historically been low (perhaps related to the fact that many Chinese are first-generation immigrants), and language barriers are also a factor. Two years ago, New Jersey established the Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission, responsible for advising the state government on policies to improve the socioeconomic welfare of more than 1 million Asian and Pacific Islander residents in the state. This year, in order to propose data-driven policies to the state, the commission has decided to conduct a comprehensive survey.
The survey covers various aspects of life, including school, society, and work. Anyone aged 11 and up can participate. At the end, Morris members successfully collected 45 surveys from community.
