A bi-annual Asian American Voter Survey (AAVS) has revealed a sharp 19 per cent decline in Indian-American support for incumbent President Joe Biden between the 2020 election and the upcoming 2024 election cycle. This survey, the longest-running of its kind, was released on Wednesday.
The survey, conducted by Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), AAPI Data, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), and AARP, shows that only 46 per cent of Indian Americans plan to vote for Biden this year, compared to 65% in 2020. This alarming 19 per cent drop is the largest among all Asian-American ethnic communities.
The survey, conducted before the June 27 presidential debate between Biden and his Republican challenger Donald Trump, also reveals that 46 per cent of Asian Americans are likely to vote for Biden, down eight percentage points since 2020. Meanwhile, 31 per cent are likely to vote for Trump, gaining one point since 2020.
Despite this significant drop in support for Biden, Trump has seen only a modest 2 per cent increase in his favorability rating, from 28 per cent in 2020 to 30 per cent in 2024. Asian Americans have become a rapidly growing group of eligible voters in the United States, increasing by 15 per cent in the last four years alone.
Their turnout in record numbers in every federal election since 2016 was crucial to Biden’s victory in 2020, particularly in battleground states.
The decline in Indian-American voters’ support for Biden could be pivotal, given the community’s sizable presence in many battleground states. According to the survey, Biden holds a 55 per cent favorability rating among Indian Americans, while Trump has a 35 per cent favorability rating. Interestingly, both Biden and Trump have the same 42 per cent unfavorability rating among Indian Americans.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Indian American and woman to be elected to this position, has a favorability rating of 54 per cent and an unfavorability rating of 38 per cent.
Former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has a favorability rating of just 33 per cent and an unfavorability rating of 46 per cent. Notably, 11% of respondents said they have not heard of Haley.
“Asian Americans are rapidly diversifying the American electorate and it is critical for us to update our understanding of what motivates them and informs their voting choices,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data. “We see ongoing evidence of dynamism within the Asian-American electorate, including on matters pertaining to presidential vote choice and party preferences on key issues ranging from inflation to healthcare and immigration,” Ramakrishnan added.
