Washington: According to a new survey conducted in the US, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters consider Vice President Kamala Harris a more suitable candidate for the presidential election than former President Donald Trump. AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) voters also believe that Harris is a candidate who better represents their background and policy views.
The new survey from AAPI Data and APIAVote found that nearly 6 in 10 AAPI voters have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Harris, while about one-third have a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion. Three in every 10 AAPI voters have a positive opinion of Trump, and nearly two-thirds have an unfavorable opinion. This reflects a growing favorability for Harris since October 2023, when the AP-NORC/AAPI Data survey found that nearly half of AAPI adults had a somewhat or very favorable opinion of her.
However, opinions about Trump have remained stable among this group. Harris is both Black and South Asian American, and she has mobilized AAPI voters in key states like Georgia, where their numbers are growing. But the survey shows that AAPI voters are more likely to see their cultural identity reflected in Harris than in Trump. Nearly half of AAPI voters say Harris better represents their background and culture, while only one in 10 voters said the same about Trump. However, it is unclear how much this is affecting their opinions about the candidates.
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Only 3 in 10 AAPI voters say Harris's Asian Indian identity is extremely or very important to them. The survey suggests that Harris being a woman may be more important to AAPI voters than her racial background. However, Harris's campaign has avoided emphasizing that she could be the first female president. About half of AAPI women voters say Harris's identity as a woman is extremely or very important to them.
In the survey, AAPI women were far more vocal than AAPI men in saying that their own background as Asian or Asian American is very important to the way they think about themselves. “We’ve seen a lot of events organized by young people, as well as AAPI women, who are actually leading different ethnic groups, like South Asians for Women, South Asians for Harris, Korean Americans for Harris, Chinese Americans for Harris,” said Christine Chen, executive director of APIAVote.
The survey shows that AAPI voters are being contacted more by Democratic Party leaders. About 4 in 10 AAPI voters said they were contacted by the Democratic Party in the past year, while about 3 in 10 said the same about the Republican Party. Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance have recently repeated stereotypes about Asian Americans and food. They have promoted false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets, and the survey found that the issue of racism is widely important to this group.
However, the survey also revealed that not all AAPI voters have a negative opinion of Trump. Karthik Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data, said that one issue where the Republican Party can reduce the support of AAPI is the economy and crime. And I think Harris has tried to dismiss the criticism in this regard by presenting some proposals.
With agency input.
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