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Collecting data to help combat disinformation
The biggest challenge in the Laotian American community is the lack of data on the community. We don’t know the exact needs of our community because there isn’t enough research specific to the community on how they get their information.
In support of NCAPA’s work on disinformation targeting Asian American communities, the Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) commissioned the University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Asian American Studies (CAAS) to conduct a research project on how Laotian Americans get information. Working with LANA’s community partners, the UMass CAAS research team conducted focus groups across the country with 45 Laotian Americans in four cities (i.e., Fresno, Houston, Philadelphia, and Portland).
The UMass CAAS research team analyzed four focus group transcripts to better determine how members of the Laotian American community gather information and how they discern if it is credible. To ensure diverse perspectives from the Laotian American community, the four focus groups were organized by age groups as follows: Fresno-Generation X (Gen X), Houston-Baby Boomers, Philadelphia-Millennial/ Generation Y (Gen Y), and Portland-Generation Z (Gen Z).
