AAPI Adults Are Losing Faith in the GOP, New Poll Shows. Dems Now Have a Wide Lead.

Democrats have opened a substantial lead over Republicans on the economy and immigration among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults, according to a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll.

The shift comes as economic concerns dominate these communities' priorities before the November 3 midterm elections. But Democrats' improved standing on policy has not translated into broad enthusiasm for the party itself, which remains unpopular with nearly half of AAPI adults.

In March 2025, AAPI adults were evenly divided over which party would better manage the economy and immigration. Democrats now hold an advantage of roughly 20 percentage points on each issue, according to the survey, which was conducted between September 8 and 15.

Trump's economic approval has fallen about 10 percentage points over the year, leaving only about two in 10 AAPI adults approving of his handling of the economy. About one-quarter approve of his overall job performance.

The decline puts Republicans at a disadvantage on the issues respondents consider most pressing. Eighty-nine percent identify the economy as one of the most important issues when thinking about the election, followed by the cost of living at 83% and health care at 73%.

Foreign policy, crime, immigration, election fairness and climate change rank below those concerns, with roughly half identifying each as a leading election issue. The findings also suggest that Trump has lost much of the goodwill he enjoyed among AAPI adults following his 2024 victory. About four in 10 viewed him favorably shortly after that election. Now, approximately three in 10 do.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data, told The Associated Press that "any gains that he made not only during the 2024 election — there was a bit of a honeymoon period that Trump enjoyed after the election before Inauguration Day — that has now largely disappeared."

Around two-thirds of AAPI adults view the GOP as a whole unfavorably, while only about one-quarter have a favorable impression. Democrats face their own credibility problem as 48% view the party unfavorably, compared with 44% who view it favorably. Their advantage on individual issues therefore comes alongside continuing doubts about the party.

The survey also found significant anxiety about the election process. About half of AAPI adults are "extremely" or "very" concerned about false information concerning candidates, and a similar share worry about legal challenges to the results.

Roughly two-thirds consider foreign governments' attempts to influence elections a major problem. About half say the same about eligible people being prevented from voting. The findings describe AAPI adults overall, rather than likely voters, and do not establish how those attitudes will translate into turnout or congressional votes. They nevertheless show Republicans losing ground on two issues where neither party previously held an advantage.

The poll surveyed 1,023 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults through NORC's probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points and was designed to represent these populations nationwide.