Indian Americans still back Democratic Party but their attachment has declined: Survey

Indian Americans still back Democratic Party but their attachment has declined: Survey


A new survey of Indian American political attitudes shows that although members of this group generally support the Democratic Party, as they historically have, their attachment to the party has declined.

A new survey of Indian American political attitudes shows that although members of this group generally support the Democratic Party, as they historically have, their attachment to the party has declined. Photo courtesy: Reuters

A new survey of Indian American political attitudes shows that although members of this group generally support the Democratic Party, as they historically have, their attachment to the party has declined. The Indian American Attitudes Survey (IAAS) found that the proportion of respondents identifying as Democrats is 47%, down from 56% in 2020, when the survey was last conducted.

The proportion identifying as independents has increased (26%), while the proportion identifying as Republicans has remained stable (21%). The authors say that the decline in numbers favoring the Democratic Party was offset by an increase in Republican identifiers among independents, yet the overall number of those identifying with the ideological left has increased since 2020.

The survey and its accompanying report were published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) and authored by Sumitra Badrinathan, Devesh Kapoor and Milan Vaishnav. It was conducted online in partnership with YouGov by surveying 714 US citizen Indian American respondents between September 18 and October 15, 2024. The margin of error was +/- 3.7 percent.

The survey shows that a majority (60%) of registered Indian American voters are planning to vote for the US Vice President and the Democratic candidate kamala harrisWhile less than a third (32%) intend to vote for the Republican candidate, the former US President donald trump,

The results of the IAAS survey are consistent with several surveys of demographics, which reveal gender differences in support for both candidates, with women supporting Ms. Harris and men supporting Mr. Trump (especially among younger populations). A larger share of Indian American women (67%) intend to vote for Ms Harris than their male counterparts (53%). On the other hand, a larger share of Indian American men (39%) intend to vote for Mr Trump than their female counterparts (22%).

The report notes that respondents gave Indian American Republicans unfavorable ratings (i.e., they are “lukewarm” toward them). These Republicans are former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, the daughter of Punjabi immigrants; former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, son of Tamil immigrants; and Usha Vance, the daughter of Telugu immigrants and wife of Mr Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.

However, data shows that the Republican Party’s relatively poor performance with Indian Americans is not because of these personalities, but because the GOP’s policies do not align with Indian American values. The study noted that when Democrats were asked why they did not identify as Republicans, they cited the GOP’s “intolerance toward minorities.” Abortion, which has emerged as a major issue for Democrats and women, as well as the GOP’s relationship with evangelicalism top the list of issues that alienate Indian Americans from the party.

Those who do not align with the Democratic Party cited weakness on illegal immigration (27%), the party being too left-wing (17%), the party being misguided on the economy (15%) and the party being too centrist (15%) . On identity politics (14%).

Indian ethnicity not a major factor in Harris, Haley’s choice

In terms of their views about Ms Harris, who is the first woman of Indian origin to seek the US presidency, the overwhelming majority of respondents (72%) said they planned to vote for Ms Harris, while 23% said they were voting for him as a vote against Mr. Trump. Only 7% said they were voting for Ms. Harris because she is Indian American.

Nearly a quarter (26%) of respondents said they were voting for Ms. Harris because she is a liberal or progressive voice, while 13% said Ms. Harris would strengthen US-India ties, and that’s why they voted for her. Have planned to do.

On the Republican side, more than half (51%) of respondents who supported Ms. Haley over Mr. Trump as the Republican nominee said they preferred her because they thought she would be a more capable president. More than a third (33%) said Ms. Haley would have been their preferred candidate because her policies were less extreme than Mr. Trump’s. Only 6% said they supported Ms. Haley because of her heritage.

Indian Americans – like Americans, broadly speaking (according to surveys) – are most concerned about the cost of living and the economy. The top issues among respondents are inflation and prices and then jobs and the economy. 13% say abortion is an important election issue, followed by immigration and health care. Republicans are much more concerned about the state of the Indian American economy than Democrats. A larger share of Indian American Democrats are concerned about climate change than their Republican counterparts.

US-India relations more important for Republican Indian Americans

Indian American Republicans are more concerned about foreign policy, with nine percent saying US-India relations are their most important issue, compared to five percent of Indian American Democrats.



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