Asian-Americans Solidly Prefer Democrats; Sixty-one percent of young adult Asian-Americans identify as/lean Democratic.
Byline: Andrew Dugan
Synopsis: Asian-Americans are far more likely to identify as or lean Democratic than Republican, 57% to 28%. Sixty-one percent of 18- to 34-year-old Asian-Americans -- who make up 56% of this demographic group -- identify as or lean Democratic.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Asian-Americans -- who were a key part, if sometimes overlooked, of President Barack Obama's 2012 electoral coalition -- solidly back the Democratic Party, with 57% identifying as or leaning Democratic, compared with 28% identifying as or leaning Republican. Thirteen percent are "pure" independents. However, the data suggest that a substantial portion of Asian-Americans are not entirely wedded to either of the major political parties: 46% first describe themselves as independent or other, and only when asked if they "lean" Republican or Democratic does the Democratic Party garner its majority support within this group.
These findings are based on aggregated data from Gallup Daily tracking surveys conducted throughout 2012, including interviews with 6,465 Asian-Americans. For the purpose of this analysis, respondents are categorized as Asian-American if they self-identify their race as Asian.
Republicans did not perform well among Asian-Americans in the 2012 election, losing this group by an estimated 72% to 26% margin. Asian-Americans make up a small but growing portion of the total electorate, probably 3% in 2012. While both parties and the media have focused highly after the election on the similarly Democratically skewed Hispanic vote, these data are a reminder that the Republican Party suffers from a competitive problem with this minority bloc as well.
Older Asian-Americans Slightly More Republican Than Younger Counterparts
While party preferences among Asian-Americans remain oriented toward the Democratic Party across the three major adult age groups -- 18 to 34, 35 to 54, and 55 and older -- the oldest generation of Asian-Americans is somewhat more likely to identify as or lean Republican. One in three Asian-Americans aged 55 and older (33%) do so, while 55% identify as or lean Democratic.
Middle-aged Asians are also more likely to be Republican than their younger counterparts, or compared with the group as whole. In this age group, 31% identify with or lean toward the GOP and 52% with the Democratic Party. However, young Asians break more strongly Democratic, giving President Obama's party a 61% to 24% advantage over the GOP.
This advantage is not...
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