The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace survey found a notable rise in support for Donald Trump, particularly among younger men.
New York: A new survey has suggested that 61 per cent of Indian Americans will vote for Democrat Kamala Harris while 32 per cent will support her Republican rival Donald Trump in the ongoing US presidential election that ends on November 5. The Indian-American Attitudes Survey (IAAS) 2024, conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with YouGov, also noted that while one in two Indian Americans still identify as Democrats, the number has come down from 2020.
Many Indian Americans now view themselves as Independents (26 per cent), having grown 11 per cent from 2020’s 15. Around 35 per cent of Indian Americans who are Hindu indicated a preference for Trump, while only 27 per cent of non-Hindus would vote for him.
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(Graphic courtesy: CarnegieEndowment.org)
Even on policy issues, there are large differences between Indian Americans who identify as Democrats or Republicans. For example, 37 per cent of those self-identifying as Republicans have inflation, prices and jobs as their top issues, while for Democrats it is 24 percent. Abortion is also on the minds of around 19 per cent of Indian American Democrats, while only 5 per cent of Republicans think it is important.
The survey also explores why Indian Americans may not support the Republican Party, with the top reasons being — intolerance of minorities (18 per cent) and not supporting the individual’s views on abortion (18 per cent).
The survey also indicated a gender gap in the support for both candidates, with Indian American women favoring Harris and Indian American men favoring Trump, more so among younger populations. Sixty-seven per cent of Indian American women intend to vote for Harris while 53 per cent of men, a significantly smaller share, say they plan to vote for Harris. Also, 22 per cent of women intend to vote for Trump while a significantly larger share of men, 39 percent, plan to cast their ballots for him, the survey found.
Published early this week, the paper surveyed 714 Indian American citizens and 127 non-citizens between September 18 and October 15. Indian Americans are the second largest immigrant group in the US after Mexican Americans, with about 5.2 million people living in the country.
