by Akemi Tamanaha, Associate Editor
Most Asian American and Pacific Islander adults voiced their disapproval of the current Trump administration’s policies in a recent survey.
On Wednesday, AAPI Data and AP-NORC released the results of a survey examining how the AAPI community is reacting to President Trump’s agenda.
Over half (55%) of AAPI adults surveyed said they felt Trump was focusing on the wrong priorities and only 18% believe he is focusing on the right priorities.
Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data and researcher at UC Berkeley, told AsAmNews that President Trump “could have had a honeymoon period” with some AAPI communities, “but it doesn’t seem to have lasted long.”
In December 2024, Ramakrishnan explained, AAPI Data conducted a similar survey which found about a 10 percent increase (27% to 37%) in favorability for Trump.
“But what we see now is that opinion has shifted back towards disapproval,” Ramakrishnan said.
AAPI adults specifically disapproved of his approach to managing the government (68%) and government spending (63%).
Most respondents (76%) said that Elon Musk, the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had too much influence on the federal government. They also voiced their disapproval of the widespread cuts to federal agencies.
Economy
The latest survey also asked AAPI adults about Trump’s approach to different issues. It found that 71% of adults disapproved of the way the Trump administration was handling the economy and trade. The number is significant to Ramakrishnan “given how APIs thought heading into the election about Trump and Harris and their comparative strengths on the issue of the economy.” An October 2024 survey found that 41% of AAPI adults trusted Kamala Harris on economic issues and 34% trusted Trump, a smaller gap compared to other issues.
“I would say that part is remarkable how much Trump’s approval has eroded on an issue that’s supposed to be his strong suit,” he said, noting that the AAPI Data/AP-NORC survey taken before Trump enacted tariffs, a policy many AAPI voters said they were opposed to back in December.
Education
A majority (67%) of respondents said they were opposed to eliminating the Department of Education. Many also said they trusted Democrats more than Republicans on issues related to education (50% vs 19%).
Ramakrishnan noted that AAPI communities have mobilized around education-related issues- like affirmative action, student debt and testing schools- in the past. Although there are currently several issues to mobilize around, he expects education policy to be significant to AAPI voters.
“I expect that education will be a significant issue heading into the midterm elections,” he said.
Immigration
AAPI respondents were not quite as disapproving of Trump’s approach to immigration with 58% saying they disapproved and 42% they approved. Ramakrishnan said AAPI adults expressed more disapproval of Trump’s immigration policies than the general population. However, AAPI Democrats largely disapproved (84%) while AAPI Republicans approved (86%).
Views on immigration also varied by generation. Only 20% of adults aged 18-29 support deporting individuals who are living in the U.S. illegally. Thirty-four percent of adults aged 30-44 supported that policy as well as about half of adults aged 45 and over.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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