A pre-election national AAPI poll: More AAPI adults trust Democrats over Republicans in handling issues

SAN FRANCISCO — A latest pre-election poll finds that more Asians trust Democrats over Republicans in handling national issues and put the economy as their top priority in the upcoming midterm election.

The nationwide poll focusing on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community was conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago and AAPI Data at the University of California at Berkeley from September 8-15, 2026

AAPI Data, launched in 2020, is a research and policy organization based at the Asian American Research Center at UC Berkeley that conducts surveys and publishes demographic and policy reports related to the AAPI communities.

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The survey, which included online and phone interviews with respondents, offered in-language services in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean. 1,023 AAPI community members aged 18 and older living in the United States participated in the survey.

The survey results were released online in a webinar on October 20, two weeks before the midterm election on November 3.

AAPI voters will likely have a high level of turnout in the November midterm election

"Our community is energized and will likely see high levels of turnout this year," Indian American Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director and founder of AAPI Data, said when he summarized the poll data.

The September poll finds that 89% of AAPI adults consider the economy the top issue when making voting decisions in the upcoming election. The cost of living is second at 83%, and health care follows at 73%.

In addition to the economy, cost of living and health care, other issues that AAPI respondents consider important are foreign policy, election fairness, immigration, crime and climate change.

The poll finds that on each of these issues, AAPI adults are more likely to trust the Democratic Party to handle them better than the Republican Party.

"The Republican Party has lost ground with AAPI adults on their handling of certain issues," noted the 27-page report, titled "Most AAPI adults cite the economy, cost of living, and healthcare as the most important issues heading into the midterm elections".

In March 2025, AAPI adults were split on who would better handle the economy (31% the Democrats vs 28% the Republicans) and immigration (31% the Democrats vs 35% the Republicans), according to the report.

In September 2026, 41% of respondents said they trust the Democrats on the economy compared with 21% who trust the Republicans. Similarly, 43% now trust the Democrats on immigration compared with 24% who trust the Republicans.

Ramakrishnan said Republicans and Democrats were essentially tied in the minds of AAPI adults in March 2025 when asked how the two parties could be trusted to handle the economy and immigration. "And we have seen major shifts since then. Relatedly, only 25% approve of how President Trump is handling his job as president compared to 31% of the U.S. overall."

"AAPI adults trust Democrats over Republicans on nearly every issue, and the gap has widened since March,” Ramakrishnan said. “Foreign interference and false information top election worries.”

Trump's performance in the minds of AAPI is falling

Among the top four priority issues for the AAPI community, Trump's performance in the minds of AAPI adults is falling, 22% approval for Trump on the economy, 25% on healthcare, 22% on foreign policy, and 32% on immigration.

"In 2018, we saw record increases in turnout for our communities in a midterm election, and that level of turnout was sustained in 2022," Ramakrishnan said. Based on the latest poll, he expected Asian voters across the nation would likely show a high turnout in the upcoming November 3 election.

Ramakrishnan pointed out that in states like North Carolina and Georgia where critical U.S. Senate races are held, AAPI voters would very likely be important players in those close elections.

"Trump's approval on the economy has declined a lot among AAPI Republicans, and this is a pretty dramatic drop," said Ramakrishnan. "Just from January of this year, where it was at 80% to 58% today." He believed most likely the Iran War, but potentially tariffs as well, have done harm to Trump's approval among AAPI Republicans.

Democrats hold an advantage over Republicans across the board among AAPI members, but less so when it comes to crime. "That is the only issue where the parties are essentially tied, but remember that that is a lower priority issue in our community," said Ramakrishnan.

Pacific Islanders and Filipinos tend to be more supportive of Trump than Chinese and Vietnamese Americans are

Typically, Vietnamese Americans are accustomed to being the most Republican-leaning among Asian ethnicities. But the survey finds "greater warmth toward the Republican Party among Filipinos than among Vietnamese," said Ramakrishnan.

According to the poll, the approval rate of Trump’s handling of national issues varies among different Asian ethnic groups. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPL) approve Trump highest at 43%, Filipino respondents follow at 39%, Chinese at 28%, Korean at 26%, Japanese at 24%, Vietnamese and Asian Indian both at 18%.

Although the Vietnamese community has long been viewed as supporting the Republican Party, the poll indicates that Vietnamese and Asian Indian respondents both have the highest disapproval rate of Trump’s performance at 82%, Japanese respondents follow at 76%, Korean at 74%, Chinese at 71%, Filipino at 61% and Pacific Islanders at 57%.

The survey also finds significant age differences across issues where the Democratic Party advantage is greater among the 18 to 34 age group than among those aged 65 and above. But there are not many gender differences.

New York Congresswoman Grace Meng: The survey data has offered valuable perspective

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), who also serves as the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said the survey data has offered valuable perspective, and she would continue to understand and respond to the AAPI communities' priorities.

"These concerns come as inflation rose to 3.7% in September. Gas prices have increased by 34% this year and tariff instability has impacted the cost and availability of everyday items on our tables like Sriracha and soy sauce," said Meng.

"President Trump has not delivered on his promise to quote immediately bring prices down starting on day one," said Meng. "AAPI voters make up the fastest growing racial group in our country. Our needs and our voice must be heard. That's why it's essential to have data on our communities because we cannot address a problem we do not see or hear."

“That's why the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus members are laser-focused on lowering the cost of living, repealing cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and reinstating Affordable Care Act tax credits so that AAPI across the country can not only survive but thrive,” Meng added.