Asian Americans will likely vote for Democrats in ’22 midterm polls – survey

Respondents believed that the Democrats oversaw the issue of  crime better, at 29 percent, compared with Republicans, at 28 percent. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

The 2022 Asian American Voter Survey of 1,610 registered voters shows a key finding: “Asian American registered voters say they are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates than for Republican candidates in House and Senate elections.”

Another finding said that 51 percent “prefer to cast their ballots by mail or drop-off box, instead of in-person at a polling place.”

This bi-annual report measures Asian American attitudes on top issues and midterm elections and is released by the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), APIA Vote and AAPI Data.

The survey includes six Asian American ethnicities: Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese.

Respondents stated that the top three issues important to them are healthcare, jobs and the economy and inflation, according to the survey taken from April 19 to June 19 and released last July 25.

The Asian American community has grown by 81 percent over the last two decades, according to Pew Research, with their potential votes likely to make an enormous impact on the midterm election results on Nov. 8.

However, “despite the progress they have made and increasing political power, they are still being ignored by many politicians, to their detriment,” said Christine Chen, executive director of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group dedicated to empowering Asian Americans.

How party manages issues

Additionally, the respondents were asked which political party they felt did a better job at certain national issues.

Asian Americans believed that the Republican party managed inflation better at 30 percent compared with the Democratic Party, at 27 percent. The data said that Republicans oversaw National security better at 30 percent compared with the Democratic party, at 29 percent. Also, respondents thought that the Republican party, at 32 percent, took care of jobs and economy better than the Democratic Party at 30 percent.

Alternatively, respondents believed that the Democratic Party managed other issues better than the Republican Party. Respondents believed that the Democrats oversaw the issue of  crime better, at 29 percent, compared with Republicans, 28 percent. Also, the Democratic Party managed immigration better, at 44 percent compared with 26 percent for the Republican party.

Filipino sample size

Filipinos, making up 275 of the total sample size, believed that the Democrats did a better job at immigration, at 46 percent compared with the Republican Party, at 30 percent. Also, 51 percent of Filipinos believed that Democrats oversaw healthcare better than the Republican Party, at 20 percent.

The Filipino sample size believed that Republicans managed jobs and security better, at 35 percent compared with the 28 percent for Democrats. The Filipino sample size also believed that Republicans managed inflation better at 34 percent compared with the other party’s 30 percent.

Fifty six percent of the Filipinos said that they strongly support elderly and disability home care. On immigration, 38 percent of the Filipinos sampled said that they agree strongly to support it. On jobs and economy, 65 percent of the Filipinos sampled said that this issue was extremely important.