COMMENTARY

AAPI Communities Seek Investment, Not Inequality

By Karthick Ramakrishnan and Akil Vohra
May 30, 2025

Key points: AAPI communities strongly support greater investment in education, progressive tax policies, and public services, signaling a clear disconnect between their priorities and recent Congressional actions.

The House of Representatives recently passed a tax and spending bill that, if enacted, would increase military spending and drastically reduce access to health care and higher education for lower-income individuals and families. The bill also proposed tax cuts that would significantly benefit high-income households, especially those with incomes in the top 1%. 

Amidst this landscape of ever-increasing economic inequality, AAPI Data released a survey in May 2025 on AAPI sentiments around education and the economy. The results showed a community that is pessimistic about their economic futures, in both the short and long terms. Only 27% of AAPIs agree or strongly agree that they and their families have a good chance of improving their standard of living in the coming year. Even more concerning, 66% of AAPIs believe it is unlikely that young people will have a better standard of living than their parents. For a largely immigrant community that has come to the United States in search of better opportunities, these findings present a warning sign about the country’s future economic strength. 

The survey results also indicate various signs of economic stress:

  • Only 17% of AAPIs are very confident that they will be able to find a good job.
  • Just 28% of AAPIs are very confident they can keep up with their expenses, and only 25% are very confident they would be able to pay an unexpected medical expense.
  • More recently, 83% of AAPIs believe that the recent tariffs will definitely or probably hurt the prices their families pay for goods.
  • The average cost of college in the U.S. is $38,270 per year which has doubled over the last 25 years. The increased cost burden for a college education is extremely problematic for AAPIs with 63% stating that they are extremely/very concerned about increases in student loan debt.

Despite a general lack of faith in the economic future, AAPIs still have an enduring belief in higher education and believe the government should prioritize spending on education. 

  • 63% of AAPI adults would prefer a bigger government providing more services, while 36% would prefer a smaller government with fewer services. As the April 2025 AAPI Data | AP-NORC survey indicated, AAPIs believe the government is spending too little on education and too much on the military. 
  • AAPIs find the recent federal cuts to university research problematic with 56% stating they are extremely/very concerned.
  • A strong majority of AAPIs (65%) strongly oppose or somewhat oppose cutting of federal funding for colleges and universities with diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. In fact, a majority of AAPIs believe that advancing equity and inclusion should be a main priority of a college education.

The majority of AAPIs also believe in progressive tax policies that benefit lower- and middle-income households. Most AAPI adults are in favor of tax cuts for lower-income (59%) and middle-income households (57%), while most oppose tax cuts for higher-income households (66%).

Overall, these survey data reveal that recent Congressional actions are directly at odds with the priorities of AAPIs. The reconciliation bill passed by the House is setting America on the path toward greater military investment and greater economic inequality. By contrast, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders favor investments in education, small businesses, and healthcare. 

With this disconnect in budget and policy priorities, AAPI communities have an opportunity to make their voices heard and to influence the way that America invests in its future. For example, AAPIs value higher education, viewing it as a vehicle for economic mobility. Currently, higher education faces multiple threats, from funding cuts for research and financial aid to restrictions on free speech and deportations of international students. By making their priorities known to elected representatives, AAPI communities can take meaningful action at this critical moment—defending and strengthening the institutions they view as critical to their children’s success and to the country’s economic future. 

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Karthick Ramakrishnan is the founder and executive director of AAPI Data
Akil Vohra is the director of policy at AAPI Data