If there is one commonality among the nation’s Asian American voters it’s not a favored party or stance on any particular issue, it’s that the diverse group wants to participate in politics. And, that their key votes might be taken for granted by major political parties.

Those are key takeaways from a survey of 2,479 registered Asian American voters presented by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, just months away from a key presidential election.

Ninety-percent of Asian American voters said they plan to vote in presidential, congressional and in other elections this November, with 68% saying they are “absolutely certain” they will vote in 2024, though the numbers decline among younger age groups.

The survey was conducted during April 4 to May 26, well before President Biden dropped out of the race and before the attempted shooting of former president Trump. But the insights into Asian Americans’ political views could prove even more valuable amid the upset in the presidential race.

That’s especially true because many of the voters surveyed say they had not been contacted by any political party on any issue by the time of the survey. More than two in five Asian American voters said they had not been contacted by either the Democratic or Republican campaigns this election season, leaving a potential opening for influence. Half say the Democratic candidates have not reached out to them, and nearly three in five say no Republicans have reached out to them.

Respondents also said they were somewhat less likely to vote this November than in the presidential races of 2016 and 2020, but it’s an open question whether Biden dropping could sway more to head to the polls in November with a new candidate for the Democratic party.

While the category of Asian American voters is highly diverse and highly multilingual – and includes Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Filipino and Chinese Americans – as a group, they are increasingly leaning more to the Democratic party and many identify as Independents, when compared to the last election when former President Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off, again, leaving many voters who could change their minds this fall. Forty-two percent of Asian American voters said they are Democrats – down from 44% in 2020 – and 31% identify as Independent, up from 25% in 2020. A total of 22% identify as Republican, down just slightly from the 23% in 2020.

As a group, Asian Americans could play a significant role in determining the next president in a tight race. Voter turnout among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders hit record numbers in the 2018 and 2020 elections, with two-digit point increases in each election for the group, according to the survey.

“In 2020, almost 60% (7.6 million) of the Asian American citizen age voting population turned out. In battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, the number of Asian Americans who cast their ballot in 2020 exceeded the presidential margin of victory,” according to the survey.

Asian Americans over the past 20 years have meanwhile become one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States, growing 39% between the 2010 and 2020 census. The Asian American population is projected to pass 35 million by 2060, according to the survey.

Below are some key findings from the survey:

• Before Biden dropped out, just over half of Asian American voters saw him as “very” or “somewhat” favorably, while 43% viewed Trump as “very” unfavorable.
  But their views of Vice President Kamala Harris were not as promising for the Democratic party, should she become the top candidate.
  Only 13% of Asian American voters said they see Harris as “highly favorable,” while 21% said they see her as “highly unfavorable.” A total of 31% say they see her as “somewhat favorable” and 21% say they see her as “somewhat unfavorable.”
• As for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, half of Asian American voters said they would vote for a Democratic candidate; 30% say they would vote for a Republican candidate.
• Most Asian American voters overwhelmingly favor the Democratic Party’s handling of issues such as abortion and reproductive rights, healthcare, racism and gun control (43% vs. 23%).
• Most Asian American voters at the same time favor Republican’s handling of national security, immigration, inflation, and crime.
• The respondents were nearly split on whom they felt is doing a better job with the Israel/Gaza fighting, which has so far killed tens of thousands of Palestinian women and children and other non-combatants. About 20% favored Democrats’ and 22% favored Republicans’ handling of the conflict, but just as many felt there was no difference between either party (42%).
• Top issues for Asian Americans are mostly universal ones: jobs, the economy, inflation, healthcare, Social Security and Medicare, crime, the cost of housing, gun control, national security, immigration, and education.
• Over two-thirds said they worry about hate crimes, harassment, and discrimination, but to varying degrees. Of those, 38% say they “sometimes” worry about it, 17% say “somewhat often” and 13% say “very often.”
• When asked from where they get their news, most Asian American voters said from television (64%), followed by print and digital newspaper sites (39%) and YouTube (38%). Three in four get most of their news from English language sites, while a quarter of Asian American voters get news from non-English sources.