Cover of the AAPI Voters Survey Report
NEW YORK — Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are poised to play a decisive role in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a new national survey released by AAPI Data and APIAVote. With 16 million eligible AAPI voters, including 1.6 million newly eligible voters since 2022, the community now represents the nation’s fastest‑growing voter bloc.
Recent elections have already shown the impact of AAPI voters in competitive congressional districts across Arizona, California, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Their influence is particularly significant in states where margins are narrow. In 2024, AAPIs made up 12% of Nevada’s eligible electorate, 4.4% of Arizona’s, and 4.2% of Georgia’s, with similarly notable shares in Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Strong Intent to Vote, With Ethnic Gaps
The survey finds unusually high enthusiasm heading into 2026: 90% of registered AAPI voters say they plan to vote, up from 84% in 2022. Seventy‑one percent say they are “certain” they will cast a ballot. Current page. Cost of living and inflation are the dominant concerns, with 90% of Asian Americans and 89% of Pacific Islanders saying…
But certainty varies sharply by ethnicity. Japanese American voters report the highest certainty at 80%, followed closely by Filipino voters at 78%. Korean and Vietnamese voters show the lowest certainty at 60%, a 20‑point gap that researchers say underscores the need for targeted outreach.
Cost of Living Dominates Concerns Across Communities
Across Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, cost of living and inflation remain the top issues, with 90% of Asian Americans and 89% of Pacific Islanders calling it “very or extremely important” to their vote.
Health care (82%), jobs and unemployment (80%), and Social Security/Medicare (80%) also rank among the highest priorities. Education (79%), crime and public safety (78%), and foreign policy (78%) follow closely. Concerns about racism and hate crimes remain significant at 73%, while immigration (68%) and reproductive rights (61%) round out the list.
Democrats Hold Advantage, But Filipino Voters Break Pattern
AAPI voters currently favor Democratic candidates by more than two‑to‑one: 60% Democratic vs. 24% Republican for U.S. Senate races, and 64% Democratic vs. 22% Republican for U.S. House contests.
However, Filipino voters stand out as the only major AAPI group where Republican preference exceeds Democratic preference in Senate races—49% Republican vs. 42% Democratic. Asian Indian voters show the strongest Democratic support at 66%.
Independent AAPI voters also lean Democratic, with 54% preferring Democratic Senate candidates and 51% preferring Democratic House candidates, though researchers caution that independents remain a fluid and influential constituency.
Large Shares Report No Contact From Parties
Despite their growing electoral importance, many AAPI voters say they remain overlooked by political parties. Forty‑two percent report no contact from the Democratic Party, and 58% report no contact from the Republican Party.
Community organizations appear to fill part of that gap, reaching 58% of AAPI adults, roughly equal to Democratic Party outreach. “This tells us that trusted community institutions continue to play a critical role in mobilizing AAPI voters,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data. “Parties cannot afford to ignore a bloc this large and this motivated.”
Trusted Messengers Vary Across Asian and Pacific Islander Groups
Family and friends (62%) and academic experts (60%) are the most trusted messengers for political information among AAPI voters. Community journalists (50%) and AAPI‑serving organizations (47%) also rank highly.
Pacific Islander adults show particularly strong trust in AAPI community organizations—59% compared with 45% of Asian Americans—a difference that APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen says reflects “deep cultural ties and the central role of community institutions in PI civic life.”
How the Survey Was Conducted
The 2026 AAPI Voter Survey includes 2,066 respondents—1,896 Asian Americans and 170 Pacific Islanders—drawn from a national voter file and identified using enhanced ethnicity data.
Interviews were conducted between June 3 and July 27, 2026, using a mixed‑mode survey design that included live phone interviews, MMS‑to‑web outreach, and online recruitment. This approach allowed researchers to reach voters across different age groups, language backgrounds, and levels of digital access.
To ensure the results accurately reflected the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander electorate, AAPI Data and APIAVote applied nonresponse bias checks, ethnicity‑enhanced voter‑file matching, and statistical weighting based on demographics such as age, gender, ethnicity, nativity, and state. These steps help correct for under‑represented groups and produce findings that are population‑representative, not skewed toward any single community or mode of response.
“This is one of the most comprehensive looks at AAPI voters heading into 2026,” Chen said. “It shows both the power of this electorate and the work still needed to engage it meaningfully.”
