Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPI Data released findings from the 2026 AAPI Voter Survey (AAVS), August 26, 2026. Indian Americans appear to be leaning Democratic by a large margin compared to other groups within the Asian American demographic. The survey showed a significant proportion of the Asian American voters have not been reached by either party.
Since 2012, the multilingual survey has tracked the attitudes, priorities and voting behavior of Asian American voters, one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. electorate. Within Asian Americans as a group, there are wide variations on some preferences.
For example, in Senate races, support for Democratic candidates ranges from 42% among Filipino voters to 66% among Asian Indian voters; Filipino voters are the only group in which Republican preference (49%) exceeds Democratic preference (42%).
The Democratic advantage extends across most Asian American ethnic groups, with the gaps strongest among Japanese Americans and weakest among Filipinos.
Independent voters remain a potentially important constituency: among independents, 54% prefer the Democratic Senate candidate vs. 18% Republican, while 51% prefer the Democratic House candidate vs. 20% Republican.
Democratic candidates currently lead in congressional vote choice, and Democrats hold an advantage on voters’ top issue: 63% select the Democratic candidate for U.S. House compared with 24% Republican. On voters’ top issue, cost of living and inflation, 44% trust Democrats to do a better job compared with 18% who trust Republicans.
The Survey’s overall findings show 90% of AAPI registered voters say they plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections, up from 84% in 2022 and 86% in 2018. Seventy-one percent say they are absolutely certain they will vote.
Cost of living and inflation are the dominant concerns, with 90% of Asian Americans and 89% of Pacific Islanders saying it is very or extremely important in deciding how they vote.
Many AAPI voters remain unreached: 42% report no contact from the Democratic Party and 58% no contact from the Republican Party. Community organizations reach approximately as many AAPI adults as the Democratic Party, with 58% reporting some contact from each.
Family and friends (62%) and academic experts (60%) are the most trusted messengers, followed by community journalists (50%) and AAPI community-serving organizations (47%).
“With Asian Americans being the fastest-growing electorate in the country, it’s crucial that we have the latest data on what motivates them to turn out and vote,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, Founder and Executive Director of AAPI Data. “Our data show that many AAPI voters still haven’t been contacted by either party, signaling that there is tremendous electoral potential waiting to be activated.”
“For the last 14 years, APIAVote and our local partners have organized and mobilized AAPI communities across the country, helping drive continued increases in voter participation election after election. This year we are seeing even more voters planning to cast their ballots for the midterms,” noted Christine Chen, Founder and Executive Director of APIAVote.
The 2026 AAPI Voter Survey examines AAPI voters’ attitudes, priorities, voting plans and civic engagement heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
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