A new poll finds that Vice President Kamala Harris is viewed more favorably by registered Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters than former President Donald Trump, and Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are also more likely to believe that Harris is the candidate who better represents their background and policy views.
A new survey by AAPI Data and APIAVote found that about 6 in 10 AAPI voters have a very or somewhat favorable view of Harris, while about one-third have a somewhat or very unfavorable view. In contrast, about 3 in 10 AAPI voters have a favorable view of Trump, and about two-thirds have an unfavorable view.
That marks an increase in favorability ratings for Harris since an AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll in October 2023 found that about half of AAPI adults have a somewhat favorable or very favorable view of her. Opinions of Trump among this group have remained stable.
Harris, who is black and South Asian American, has worked to rally Asian American voters in battleground states like Georgia, where the number of Asian American voters is growing. But polls show Asian American voters are far more likely to see their cultural identity reflected in Harris than in Trump: About half of Asian American voters say Harris better represents their background and culture, compared with just about one in 10 who say Trump does. But it’s not clear how much this is affecting their views of the candidate.
While only about 3 in 10 AAPI American voters say Harris’ Asian Indian identity is extremely or very important to them, some may feel more strongly about her background than other AAPI Americans: About 7 in 10 Asian Indian adults believe Harris is the candidate who better represents their background and culture, a higher share than AAPI adults overall.
