Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Gain Influence in 2026

-Editorial 

Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, one of the fastest-growing and most diverse segments of the American electorate, could play an increasingly significant role in the 2026 midterm elections as concerns over inflation, immigration enforcement, and the cost of living influence political participation, according to new research from AAPI Data.

With nearly 17 million eligible voters nationwide and a reported 56% turnout rate in the 2024 election, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities represent a growing political constituency encompassing a wide range of ethnicities, languages, immigration backgrounds, socioeconomic circumstances, and political affiliations.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of AAPI Data, presented findings from the organization’s latest State of Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders report and the 2026 Asian American Voter Survey, conducted in partnership with APIAVote.

The research examines demographic trends, economic conditions, immigration experiences, political preferences and voter engagement among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations.

Ramakrishnan said the report combines federal demographic information with public opinion research to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing these communities.

“If you want to understand how a particular issue like poverty, economic insecurity, or immigration is impacting our community, you’ll have access to not only data often published by the federal government as well as other sources, but also public opinion data,” Ramakrishnan said.

The latest report is the third edition of the publication, which began in 2014 through a collaboration between AAPI Data and the Center for American Progress.

One of the report’s findings concerns language accessibility, particularly among Asian American communities.

According to Ramakrishnan, Asian Americans have slightly higher rates of limited English proficiency than Latino populations, underscoring the importance of providing election information, government services, and public resources in multiple languages.

The findings also demonstrate substantial economic differences among Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnic groups.

Approximately 10% of Asian Americans and 17% of Pacific Islanders live below the federal poverty level, according to figures presented in the report.

However, Ramakrishnan said those percentages do not fully capture the financial pressures experienced by households struggling with rising expenses.

Survey respondents identified groceries, health care, and housing as major sources of economic concern, suggesting that financial insecurity extends beyond households officially classified as living in poverty.

The report also highlights educational challenges, particularly among Pacific Islander students attending for-profit colleges.

Nearly one in five Pacific Islander students are enrolled in for-profit institutions, more than twice the national average, according to the research.

Ramakrishnan said previous studies have linked enrollment in some for-profit educational institutions to increased student debt burdens.

Immigration represents another significant area of analysis.

Asian Americans are distinctive among major U.S. racial groups because a majority of their population is foreign-born, although immigration patterns differ considerably among ethnic communities.

The report identifies more recent immigration trends involving Kazakh, Uzbek, Nepalese, and Mongolian populations, among others.

Public opinion research also suggests that immigration enforcement policies have affected the daily behavior of some Asian American and Pacific Islander residents.

According to the survey, 41% of Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents reported either personally beginning to carry identification or immigration-related documents during the previous year or knowing someone who had done so.

That percentage increased to 53% among South Asian respondents.

The research also found declining support for mass deportations.

In December 2024, approximately 38% of surveyed Asian American and Pacific Islander respondents supported deporting all immigrants living in the United States illegally.

By February 2026, that figure had declined to 29%.

Ramakrishnan pointed to widely publicized federal immigration enforcement operations, including actions in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and at a Hyundai-related industrial site, as developments that may have influenced public attitudes.

The survey also found that 72% of respondents believed federal spending on immigration enforcement was too high.

Beyond immigration, the research suggests substantial interest in participating in the November midterm elections.

Approximately 90% of registered Asian American and Pacific Islander voters surveyed said they intended to vote in 2026.

However, Ramakrishnan cautioned that stated intentions do not necessarily translate into actual participation.

“I’m a political scientist by training; there is a difference between intention and reality,” he said.

A narrower measure found that 64% of registered respondents said they were certain they would vote.

Ramakrishnan said the findings suggest the possibility of turnout approaching the elevated participation recorded during the 2018 midterm elections, particularly if voters are able to access polling places and successfully cast their ballots.

The research also examined partisan preferences ahead of the congressional elections.

According to the survey, Democratic candidates held an advantage over Republican candidates in a generic congressional ballot question, while Democrats also received more favorable assessments on several issues identified as priorities by respondents.

Cost of living and inflation remained dominant concerns across surveys conducted since 2024.

Despite the Democratic advantage, the findings indicate that Asian American and Pacific Islander voters cannot be characterized as a politically uniform constituency.

Ramakrishnan said approximately twice as many respondents identified as Democrats as Republicans, while roughly one-quarter to one-third identified as politically independent, depending on how independence was measured.

The research also identified differences across age groups.

Younger Asian American and Pacific Islander voters were somewhat more likely to favor Democratic congressional candidates but were slightly less likely than older voters to express certainty about participating in the election.

Ramakrishnan said youth turnout remains an important factor because participation among younger voters generally declines during midterm elections compared with presidential election years.

The 2018 midterms produced substantial increases in youth participation, raising questions about whether similar engagement can be sustained in 2026.

Another finding concerns political outreach.

Although Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have grown in electoral importance, many voters reported receiving limited contact from political campaigns and parties.

Ramakrishnan said the survey indicated some improvement in outreach from Democrats, while Republican outreach showed less progress.

Community organizations have helped address some of those gaps by providing voter education, election information, and opportunities for civic participation.

The research also examined which sources voters trust when evaluating political information.

Family members, friends, and academic experts ranked among the trusted sources identified by respondents.

Pacific Islander respondents expressed particularly high levels of trust in community organizations.

Among younger voters, professors and academic experts received relatively stronger levels of trust, while Republican-identifying respondents were more likely to view pastors and religious leaders as credible sources of information.

The findings illustrate the importance of recognizing differences within Asian American and Pacific Islander communities rather than treating them as a single political or demographic group.

AAPI Data has conducted its biennial voter research partnership with APIAVote since 2014, incorporating surveys offered in multiple languages to reach voters who may be underrepresented in English-only national polling.

The organization’s research also draws on partnerships involving The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans.