Are Pacific Islanders Asian?
Sometimes, Pacific Islanders, such as Native Hawaiians or Samoans, who do not technically belong to the continent of Asia, may be classified or “clumped together” with the Asians as a group, often in censuses, surveys or studies. Thus, occasionally the term “Asians and Pacific Islanders” or “Asia/Pacific” may be used. However, in the 2000 US Census, many Pacific Islanders did not consider themselves the same race as Asians, and classified themselves separately.
