Inflation fears are high. A new poll shows AAPI adults particularly worried
Economic and personal finance issues, immigration, and health care are the top policy priorities AAPI adults want the government to address in 2026. And while most are pessimistic about the overall state of the country, economy, and healthcare, they are more positive about their own situation.
Topics covered: cost of living, inflation, healthcare costs, rights and freedoms, U.S. identity
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Key Survey Takeaways
- Affordability and cost of living are top of mind for AAPI adults. Economy and personal finances are key priorities for the next year among both Republicans and Democrats, with 72% mentioning at least one economic issue and 42% mentioning personal finances. Half (49%) cite inflation or the cost of living as a major priority.
- AAPI adults are pessimistic about the upcoming year. Most AAPI adults think the national economy (58%) and how things are going overall (60%) will get worse in 2026, while about one-third also expect their own financial situation to get worse.
- Concerns about health care costs and access are prevalent. A majority are worried about not being able to access health care when they need it, losing or not having health insurance, or not being able to pay for health care or medications they need.
- Immigration remains a high priority for AAPI communities. 41% mention immigration as a top policy issue, including 32% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans.
- AAPI adults are more likely than the general population to regard key freedoms as under threat. Most AAPI adults see major threats towards freedom of speech (58%) and freedom of press (57%), and about a third see threats towards the right to vote (38%) and freedom of religion (34%).
- AAPI adults view democracy and individual liberty as more important to U.S. identity than Christian culture. 80% of AAPI adults cited a democratically elected government as very important to U.S. identity.
AAPI adults are pessimistic about the upcoming year
Most AAPI adults think the national economy (58%) and how things are going overall (60%) will get
worse in 2026, while about one-third also expect their own financial situation to get worse. Public
sentiment among AAPI adults has fluctuated over the last few years. While they are not as pessimistic
they were in April 2025, they are still more likely to expect things to get worse than they were in 2023.
As President Trump enters his second year back in office, about half of AAPI Republicans are
optimistic about the country and economy while most Democrats are pessimistic. Households earning under $50,000 are more likely to expect their personal finances to worsen (46%) than those in households earning $100,000 or more (29%). Wealthier households are more likely to say their personal finances will stay about the same (51% vs. 32%).
Economic issues, especially around cost of living and health care costs, are key problems for AAPI adults
Several key economic and financial issues are high priorities among AAPI adults. About 2 in 10 mention unemployment or jobs, the economy in general, or housing costs. These are all in line with the general population. About half of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults said they wanted the government to prioritize addressing the high cost of living and inflation
Concerns about health care costs are also prevalent. Nearly all AAPI adults are at least somewhat concerned about an increase in the cost of their health care. A majority are worried about not being able to access health care when they need it, losing or not having health insurance, or not being able to pay for health care or medications they need. These findings largely align with that of the general public according to an October 2025 AP-NORC Poll. AAPI Democrats are more likely than AAPI Republicans to be extremely or very concerned about increased health care costs (65% vs. 42%) and lack of access to health care (42% vs. 26%). Those in households earning under $50,000 are more likely than those earning $100,000 or more to be extremely or very worried about not being able to access health care (54% vs. 31%) and about losing or not having health insurance (49% vs. 27%).
AAPI adults are more likely to regard key freedoms as under threat
While most AAPI adults agree the U.S. is a democracy, a majority (57%) believe it is a poorly
functioning one. AAPI Democrats are more likely to say the U.S. is a poorly functioning democracy,
while Republicans are more likely to say it is functioning well. And a higher share of AAPI adults who speak a language other than English at home say the U.S. is a well-functioning democracy compared with those who speak mainly English.
Study Methodology
The nationwide study was conducted by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AAPI Data from December 2-8, 2025, 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 1,029 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.