**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
AAPI Communities See Several Key Issues at Stake this Election
72% feel the election will have an important impact on immigration, AAPI adults are fairly split on trusting Harris (42%) or Trump (35%) to handle immigration.
CHICAGO, October 14, 2024 – With just weeks to go before the presidential election, a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC survey finds that most Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults believe the outcome of the race will have important impacts on the economy (82%), health care (74%), immigration policy (72%), and foreign policy (72%).
AAPI adults trust Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump to handle key issues like abortion (65% vs. 16%), race and inequality (64% vs. 15%), and health care (59% vs. 19%). The gaps between Harris and Trump narrow considerably on issues like the economy (41% vs. 34%), immigration (42% vs. 35%), and crime (39% vs. 33%).
AAPI adults are more likely to feel that Harris, rather than Trump, cares about people like them (52% vs. 15%), is honest (50% vs. 15%), has the right vision for the country (49% vs. 25%), and can handle a crisis (47% vs. 26%). These favorable views of Harris also surpass those of the general public, who were asked in August 2024.
“These findings offer a comprehensive view into AAPI communities’ perceptions of the candidates across a range of high-profile issues and candidate qualities,” says Jennifer Benz, deputy director of The AP-NORC Center. “Many across AAPI communities feel that the outcome of this election will be consequential for the policy issues that affect their daily lives.”
On immigration, AAPI adults are far more likely than the general population to view legal immigrants as an important asset. For example, 79% of AAPI adults feel legal immigration is a major benefit for economic growth in the country, compared to about 42% of the general public who were last asked in March 2024. And 73% see skilled labor in science and technology as a major benefit, well above the 41% of the broader population.
Concerns about illegal immigration are similar between AAPI adults and the general public, with similar shares perceiving illegal immigration as a risk to welfare programs (48% vs. 53%) and crime (38% vs. 40%), despite recent reports noting that immigrants tend to use benefits at lower rates and commit fewer crimes than the general population. Overall, while AAPI adults tend to view illegal immigrants as presenting higher risks compared to legal immigrants, no more than half within these communities believe that either group poses major risks.
AAPI adults see increasing security at the U.S.-Mexico border (45%) and strengthening policies to prevent visa overstays (41%) as top immigration priorities for the federal government, which is similar to the general population who were last asked in December 2021. Reducing green card wait times is also a top issue for AAPI adults, with 44% considering it a high priority, and about another third prioritizing other legal immigration policies such as expanding family visas and providing green cards to college graduates. About a third of AAPI adults and the general population consider providing legal status for undocumented immigrants and deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as high priorities.
AAPI adults express mixed feelings about the upcoming election with 37% saying they feel fearful and 29% reporting they feel excited. One in 5 are feeling angry or satisfied. AAPI adults aged 60 and over are more likely to say excited accurately describes their feelings of the election, compared to their younger counterparts.
Intergenerational conversations shape some AAPI adults’ views on key issues like abortion, climate change, and LGBTQ rights. A quarter say discussions with older family members have influenced their economic policy views a lot, while another 34% report they’ve been influenced a little. Similar to the general public in March 2024, AAPI communities also trust national (58%) and local (53%) news organizations for election information, with fewer relying on friends and family (45%) or social media (35%).
“Policies on legal immigration have received relatively little public attention, yet they have a disproportionate impact on AAPI communities,” says Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data and a researcher at UC Berkeley. “These survey findings point to the need for greater attention to problems such as backlogs in green cards and employment-based visas.”
Media Contact:
Nicholas Turton
Director of Communications
AAPI Data | press@aapidata.com
About AAPI Data
The nationwide study was conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AAPI Data from September 3–9, 2024, using the Amplify AAPI Monthly survey drawing from NORC’s Amplify AAPI® Panel designed to be representative of the U.S. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander household population. Online and telephone interviews were offered in English, the Chinese dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean with 1,123 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders aged 18 and older living in the United States. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.7 percentage points.
About the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research taps into the power of social science research and the highest-quality journalism to bring key information to people across the nation and throughout the world.
The Associated Press (AP) is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. www.ap.org
NORC at the University of Chicago is one of the oldest objective and nonpartisan research institutions in the world. www.norc.org
The two organizations have established The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to conduct, analyze, and distribute social science research in the public interest on newsworthy topics, and to use the power of journalism to tell the stories that research reveals. Learn more at www.apnorc.org.
About AAPI Data
AAPI Data is a leading research and policy organization producing accurate data to shift narratives and drive action toward enduring solutions for Asian American (AA) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities across the nation. AAPI Data aspires to transform public and private systems to ensure that all AA and NHPI communities are recognized, valued, and prioritized. Learn more at aapidata.com. Email press@aapidata.com for more questions.