Most AAPIs agree that the United States used to be a great place for immigrants but is not anymore
The top words to describe the United States are great, prosperous, or powerful. However, many are
divided in their feelings surrounding the 250th Anniversary.
Topics covered: immigration, patriotism, citizenship, the American Dream
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Key Survey Takeaways
- Compared to a third of the general population, 51% of AAPIs report they or someone they know has experienced one or more of the following: carrying documentation proving immigration status or citizenship, changing travel plans, significantly altering daily routines, or facing detention or deportation due to immigration status. Carrying proof of immigration or citizenship status is at 41 percent for AAPIs, and is highest among South Asians (53%).
- Why it matters: Asian Americans have long suffered from the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype, and the harmful effects of those stereotypes are heightened during the current period of racial profiling, large-scale enforcement in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods as well as national security tensions with Iran.
- 64% percent say the U.S. used to be a great place for immigrants but is not anymore, while 30% feel it still is a great place for immigrants
- Why it matters: Large-scale immigration enforcement, multi-country bans on green cards, cuts to student and work visas, and nativist rhetoric among elected officials have changed America’s reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants.
- AAPI adults value the American dream (80%), a democratically elected government (79%), and mixing of global cultures and values (73%) as central to the U.S. identity.
- Why it matters: Despite the polarizing political climate, AAPIs still find value in the American Dream and are deeply invested in democracy and the promise of upward mobility.
- Just 2 in 10 view a culture established by early European immigrants or grounded in Christian ideals as key to U.S. national identity, lower than the general population.
- Why it matters: This overwhelming AAPI support for religious and cultural pluralism as central to American identity stands in sharp contrast to the increasingly nativist worldview and rhetoric of conservative movement leaders and elected officials.
- 58% consider it extremely or very important for immigrants living in the United States to maintain their culture and traditions.
- More AAPI adults than the general public say their family’s ancestry (55% vs 37%) and their race or ethnicity (54% vs 36%) are extremely or very important to their personal identity.
- Why it matters: Even as demographic data overwhelmingly indicates economic, residential, and linguistic assimilation after the immigrant generation, AAPIs are more likely than the general public to honor their ancestry and maintain their cultural traditions.
AAPI adults value the American Dream, a democratically elected government, and the mixing of cultures and values from around the world as core parts of the United States’ identity
A large share of AAPI adults view the ability of people living in the United States to achieve the American dream (80%) and a democratically elected government (79%) as central to the United States’ identity as a nation.
About 2 in 3 AAPI adults were born outside the United States, including large populations from non-democratic countries like China. The poll finds that AAPI adults are more likely than the general public overall to view a democratically elected government (79% vs 66%), diversity of global cultures (73% vs 55%), and the ability for others to come to escape violence or find opportunity (66% vs 51%) as core elements of the United States’ identity.
About 6 in 10 AAPI adults view a shared American culture as very important to the United States’ national identity and a similar share of the general population say the same. About half say capitalism or a free-market economy is very or extremely important to U.S. identity.
Fewer, about 2 in 10, AAPI adults view a culture established by early European immigrants or grounded in Christian ideals as key to U.S. national identity. AAPI adults are less likely than the general population to say these are key aspects.
Most AAPI adults agree that the United States is one of the greatest countries in the world but are divided on how they feel about the country’s 250th anniversary
AAPI adults and adults in the general population agree that the United States is one of the greatest countries in the world. Half of AAPI adults hold this view and 2 in 10 feel the United States stands above all other countries. About one third of both AAPI and general population adults think there are other countries better than the United States.
AAPI Republicans are more likely than both Democrats and independents to say the United States stands above all other countries in the world (44% vs. 6% and 18%). Conversely, AAPI Democrats (49%) are more likely than Republicans (9%) or independents (23%) to say there are other countries globally that are better than the United States.
This year marks the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence. AAPI adults are split regarding their feelings about the celebration. About one third indicate that they feel indifferent (34%), or conflicted (33%). One third say they are proud (33%) and 28% feel excited.
Older and Republican AAPI adults are more likely to express being proud or excited about the anniversary compared with younger adults or Democrats.
Most AAPI adults agree that the United States used to be a great place for immigrants but is not anymore
Thirty percent of AAPI adults say the United States used to be a great place for immigrants but is not anymore, while 64% feel it still is a great place for immigrants. These findings align with the general public.
AAPI Republicans are somewhat more likely than Republicans overall say the U.S. is a great place for immigrants. Similar shares of AAPI Republicans and Republicans overall feel the U.S. used to be a great place for immigrants, but slightly more Republicans overall feel the U.S. was never a great place for immigrants. The same is true when looking at independents. Eight in ten AAPI Democrats and U.S. Democrats say the U.S. used to be a great place for immigrants.
Fifty-one percent of AAPI adults report that over the past 12 months either they or someone they know has carried documentation proving their immigration status or U.S. citizenship, changed travel plans, significantly altered their daily routines like avoiding work or school, or faced detention or deportation due to their immigration status. Fifty-seven percent of Hispanic adults report the same, along with just 25% of white adults.
AAPI adults younger than 30 are more likely than those 60 or older to say they or someone they know has changed their travel plans (46% vs. 20%), routines (32% vs. 9%), or been detained or deported (19% vs. 5%). More AAPI Democrats than Republicans say they or someone they know has started carrying proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status (51% vs. 25%) or changed travel plans (42% vs. 21%).
AAPI adults with a South Asian lineage are more likely than those with East Asian lineages to report that they or someone they know has carried proof of immigration status or U.S. citizenship over the past 12 months (53% vs. 36%).
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry are more important to AAPI adults’ personal identity than to the general population
Eight in ten AAPI adults say their family is extremely or very important to their personal identity. A majority also prioritize their family’s ancestry or country of origin. About half say the same about their race or ethnicity, their gender, and their job or career. Less than half feel similarly about being an American, their religion, or their political affiliation.
More AAPI Republicans than Democrats say being an American (73% vs. 32%) and their religion (52% vs. 25%) are extremely or very important parts of their identity. More Democrats than Republicans prioritize their family’s ancestry or country of origin (61% vs. 46%). Both AAPI Republicans and Democrats are more likely to say their political a∞liation important than independents (35% and 27% vs. 10%).
AAPI adults 60 or older are more likely than AAPI adults younger than 30 to say being an American is an important part of their identity (64% vs. 32%). AAPI women more often than men say their race or ethnicity (62% vs. 46%) and their gender (58% vs. 42%) are extremely or very important parts of their identity.
AAPI adults with a religious affiliation are more likely than those who do not identify with any religion to say that religion is extremely or very important to their identity (45% vs. 7%).
Study Methodology
The nationwide study was conducted by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AAPI Data from April 20-28, 2026, 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 1,075 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders aged 18 and older living in the United States. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.4 percentage points.