One in Five: Priorities of AAPI Californians

AAPI Data Guide on Timely Policy Issues

Our resource guide compiles timely insights from our monthly survey series conducted in partnership with the Associated Press and NORC. Amid a rapidly evolving political climate and federal policy landscape, this guide provides a critical snapshot of where Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities stand on the most pressing political and social issues of our time.

AAPIs make up one in five eligible voters in California. To highlight the priorities of AAPI Californians, we’re excited to present our resource guide with key insights into where California AAPIs stand on issues such as immigration, the economy, education, and more. This resource complements the demographic snapshot of AAPI Californians developed in collaboration with the California Commission on APIA Affairs.

This guide is part of a larger collection of issue-based resources that highlight key policy insights, data and survey findings that help inform how our diverse AANHPI communities think about, and are affected by, particular issues.

Please check aapidata.com/resource-guides periodically for new resource guides like this one.

Published: April 29, 2026

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Executive Summary

Key Facts You Need to Know: Health in AANHPI Communities

  1. Affordability is the top priority: Cost of living and jobs dominate the concerns of AAPI Californians, with war and foreign policy, health care, immigration and rights/freedoms also as major concerns.
  2. Housing or rent is the top affordability concern for AAPI adults (69% in CA, 61% nationally), followed by healthcare (55% in CA, 57% nationally) — underscoring the compounding financial pressures facing the community.
  3. Taxes: About two-thirds of AAPI adults (69% in CA, 65% nationally) believe higher-income households pay too little in federal taxes, and about 7 out of 10 AAPI adults (70% in CA, 71% nationally) say the government spends too little on improving the healthcare system.
  4. Healthcare: Nearly three-quarters of AAPI adults (73% in CA, 74% nationally) say private health insurers are extremely or very responsible for high healthcare costs in the U.S.
  5. Healthcare: Strong cross-partisan majorities support government limits on hospital charges — including 76% of AAPI Republicans that strongly or somewhat support government limits on hospital charges — making this one of the most broadly shared policy positions across the survey.
  6. Immigration: Two-thirds of AAPI adults (69% in California, 66% nationally) say Trump has gone too far on deportations.
  7. Immigration: Large majorities oppose aggressive enforcement tactics: 82% of AAPI women somewhat or strongly oppose allowing immigration agents to cover their faces, and 80% of AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 somewhat or strongly oppose using the military and national guard for deportations.
  8. Education: An overwhelming 87% of AAPI adults nationally — and 91% in California — say a four-year college degree is essential or important for getting a job that can comfortably support a family.
  9. Education: Concern about student loan debt is nearly universal: 80% of AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 are extremely or very concerned, and even among AAPI Republicans, 40% share this concern.

Policy Priorities

Most Important Problems

  • Similar to the rest of the country, cost of living (58%) and jobs (35%) dominate the concerns of AAPI Californians
  • War and foreign policy is also a highly ranked concern (47%), followed by health care (26%), immigration (23%), and protecting rights and freedoms (19%)

Immigration

Immigration, Trade, and Foreign Policy

  • Nearly seven in ten California AAPI adults (69%) say Donald Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, slightly higher than the 66% who say the same nationally. 
  • Just 8% of California AAPI adults say he has not gone far enough, compared to 11% nationwide.

Deportations

  • More than half of all demographic groups, except AAPI Republicans, think Donald Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
  • More than four fifths of  AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 and AAPI Democrats, think Trump has gone too far. Conversely, about a quarter (22%) of AAPI Republicans think that Trump has not gone far enough.

Immigration Enforcement Tactics

  • Opposition to allowing immigration enforcement agents to cover their faces is widespread across all demographic groups. 
  • AAPI women (82% somewhat or strongly oppose) are more likely than AAPI men (63% somewhat or strongly oppose) to oppose the policy. The youngest AAPI adults — those aged 18 to 34 — oppose it at the highest rate (78% somewhat or strongly oppose), while AAPI Democrats oppose it at 89% (somewhat or strongly oppose) compared to just 31% (somewhat or strongly oppose) of AAPI Republicans.

Use of Military and National Guard

  • A majority of California AAPI adults oppose using the military and national guard to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. 
  • Opposition is especially pronounced among AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 (80% somewhat or strongly oppose) and AAPI Democrats (74% somewhat or strongly oppose), with the least opposition among AAPI Republicans (27% somewhat or strongly oppose).

Large-Scale Immigration Enforcement

  • AAPI adults broadly oppose conducting large-scale immigration enforcement operations in neighborhoods with high immigrant populations. 
  • AAPI women (63% somewhat or strongly oppose) oppose this more strongly than AAPI men (54%). Among age groups, AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 show the strongest opposition (77% somewhat or strongly oppose), while AAPI Democrats somewhat or strongly oppose at 75% — more than three times the rate of AAPI Republicans (22% somewhat or strongly oppose).

Healthcare

Private Health Insurers and High Health Care Costs

  • Similar to AAPI adults nationwide, AAPIs in California hold pharmaceutical companies and private health insurers as “extremely responsible” or “very responsible” for high health care costs.
  • About 6 in 10 AAPIs in California hold the federal government to the same levels of responsibility, while a slightly lower proportion say the same for health care providers.

Concerns about Losing Health Insurance

  • Concerns about losing health insurance is notable across all demographic groups (e.g., sex, age, party) of AAPI adults. 
  • AAPI adults aged 65 and older express the highest level of extreme or very strong concern (45%), while AAPI Independents show among the highest combined concern levels (83% extremely/very or somewhat concerned). 
  • AAPI Democrats show slightly more combined levels of concern (66% extremely/very or somewhat concerned) than AAPI Republicans (60% extremely/very or somewhat concerned).

Concerns about Paying for Medications

  • AAPI adults aged 65 and older are the most likely to be extremely or very concerned about not being able to pay for their medications (47%), reflecting the healthcare cost burdens faced by older adults on fixed incomes. 
  • AAPI Independents also show the highest concern (48% extremely/very concerned), whereas AAPI Republicans are the least concerned group, with 42% reporting little or no concern.

Placing Limits on Hospital Charges

  • Strong majorities across nearly all demographic groups support having the government place limits on how much hospitals can charge. 
  • Support is highest among AAPI women (80% somewhat or strongly support) and AAPI adults aged 50 to 64 (75% somewhat or strongly support). Even among AAPI Republicans, a solid majority (76% somewhat or strongly support) favor the policy, with the least support among AAPI independents (66% somewhat or strongly support).

Economy

Support for 2025 Reconciliation Bill

  • AAPI Californians, like AAPI adults nationally, are highly persuadable on the 2025 reconciliation bill
  • When presented only with some of the benefits in the bill, AAPI Californians are split, with 39% in favor and 44% opposed.
  • However, when the costs of the bill are mentioned, either in isolation or when paired with the benefits in the bill, support drops and opposition increases.
  • These findings suggest relatively low levels of awareness about the reconciliation bill, with strong framing effects depending on the kind of information presented to respondents.

Affordability Concerns

  • Housing or rent is the top affordability concern for California AAPI adults (69%), even more so than for AAPI adults nationally (61%) — reflecting the state’s acute cost-of-living pressures. 
  • Healthcare is the second-ranked concern at 55% in California and 57% nationally.
  • Elder care is a slightly greater concern in California (29%) than nationally (22%), while childcare ranks lowest in both geographies.

Paying Fair Share of Taxes

  • Over two thirds of California AAPI adults (69%) believe higher-income households pay too little in federal taxes — on par with the 65% who hold this view nationally.
  • By contrast, most AAPI Californians believe that middle income households and their own households pay too much in taxes.

Opinion on Government Spending Priorities

  • Three in four California AAPI adults (75%) say the federal government is spending too much on immigration enforcement — slightly higher than the 72% of AAPI adults nationally who share that view. 
  • On military and defense, 67% of California AAPI adults say the government is spending too much, similar to the 69% of AAPI adults nationwide.
  • On domestic priorities, more than two-thirds of California AAPI adults (68%) say the federal government is spending too little on healthcare — identical to the national figure of 68%. Education draws even stronger sentiment: 71% of California AAPI adults say too little is being spent on education, compared to 70% nationally.
  • These findings suggest that California AAPI adults oppose the Trump administration’s budget priorities to increase spending on immigration enforcement and the military while cutting funding for health and education.

Personal Financial Outlook

  • The majority of AAPI adults, except AAPI Republicans, expect their personal finances to get worse rather than better in the coming year. 
  • AAPI women (43% somewhat/much worse), AAPI adults aged 65 and older (44% somewhat/much worse), and AAPI Democrats (43% somewhat/much worse) are among the most pessimistic, while AAPI Republicans are the most optimistic group — 38% expect improvement in their personal finances compared to just 25% who expect decline.

Preference for Size of Government and Public Services

  • A majority of AAPI adults across most demographic groups prefer a bigger government that provides more services over a smaller government with fewer services. 
  • Support for bigger government is especially strong among AAPI women (73%), those aged 18 to 34 (79%), and AAPI Democrats (81%). AAPI Republicans are the clear exception, with 85% preferring smaller government.

Education

Restrictions on Free Speech on College Campuses

  • Six in ten California AAPI adults (60%) are extremely or very concerned about restrictions on free speech on college campuses — higher than the 55% who feel the same nationally. 
  • Only 15% of California AAPI adults report little to no concern, compared to 20% nationally.
  • AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 — those most directly affected by campus policies — express the highest concern about free speech restrictions on college campuses, with 76% saying they are extremely or very concerned. 
  • AAPI women (64% extremely/very concerned) are slightly more concerned than AAPI men (56%). 
  • AAPI Democrats (75%) and Independents (64%) are far more concerned than AAPI Republicans, of whom only 12% are extremely or very concerned about free speech restrictions on college campuses.

Perceived Value of a College Degree

  • Similar to AAPI adults nationwide, AAPIs in California view a four-year college degree as generating important economic benefits
  • An overwhelming 91% of California AAPI adults say a four-year college degree is essential or important for getting a job that can comfortably support a family.
  • Nearly 9 in 10 also indicate that a college degree enables people to change jobs more easily over the long term, and to increase wealth and minimize debt over the long term
  • Finally, AAPI adults in California and nationwide also see college education as important to helping individuals being informed and engaged citizens.

Student Loan Debt

  • Concern about increases in student loan debt is high across AAPI demographic groups by sex, age, and partisanship. 
  • AAPI adults aged 18 to 34 — who are most directly exposed to student debt — are the most concerned, with 80% extremely or very concerned. AAPI women (67%) and men (63%) hold similarly high levels of concern. AAPI Democrats (74%) and Independents (66%) are substantially more concerned than AAPI Republicans (40%).

Additional References

Other Resources

Community Partners

Note: this is not an exhaustive list and will be continuously updated.

Sources

Suggested citation:  Michele Wong and Karthick Ramakrishnan, “One in Five: Priorities of AAPI Californians” Berkeley, CA: AAPI Data, 2026.