Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander adults have become more disillusioned with President Donald Trump and Republicans as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, according to a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll, giving Democrats a substantial edge on major issues like the economy and health care.
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elections → become → economy
The survey, which was conducted from Sept. 8-15 by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, reveals that Trump’s standing on the economy has fallen among AAPI adults over the course of his second term.
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standing → conduct → term
About one-quarter of AAPI adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president overall.
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Trump → approve → president
Only about 2 in 10 approve of his performance on the economy, which the vast majority of AAPI adults see as one of the most important issues for the upcoming election.
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majority → approve → election
But although AAPI adults trust Democrats more than Republicans on a wide range of issues, views of the Democratic Party itself are still split.
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views → trust → Party
Rebecca Larocco, a 45-year-old Korean American in Corning, Iowa, voted for Trump in 2016 and is leaning Republican in the midterm elections.
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Larocco → vote → elections
She approves of his immigration policies but is unsure about Trump’s handling of the economy as the Iran war continues to compound gas prices.
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war → approve → prices
“Where I’m at, it’s went up almost $1.50 (a gallon),” she said.
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she → ’m → Where
“I didn’t expect to go into war at all, that has been definitely unexpected and I’m not sure...
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I → expect → war
I’m just hoping they’ll do what they’re saying and get our economy back on track, get immigration and crime lowered.
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immigration → hop → track
The economy remains top of mind for an overwhelming majority of the AAPI adult population when they consider the midterms.
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they → remain → midterms
With the ongoing Iran war affecting gas prices and other costs staying elevated, Americans overall are deeply pessimistic about the state of the economy and see it as a high priority for the midterms.
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Americans → affect → midterms
That includes AAPI adults — according to the poll, about 9 in 10 rank the economy as one of the most important issues for the upcoming election, and about 8 in 10 say this about the cost of living.
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10 → include → living
The economy, the cost of living and healthcare dwarf other issues for AAPI adults.
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economy → dwarf → adults
About 7 in 10 AAPI adults say healthcare is one of the most important issues for the election, while only about half say this about foreign policy, crime, immigration, election fairness or climate change.
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half → say → policy
At the same time, Trump’s economic approval among AAPI adults has dropped about 10 percentage points over the course of the year, and there are other signs his popularity has waned with this group.
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popularity → drop → group
In late 2024, just after the election, about 4 in 10 AAPI adults had a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Trump.
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adults → have → Trump
That’s fallen to about 3 in 10 now.
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That → fall → 10
“What the data show is that any gains that he made not only during the 2024 election — there was a bit of a honeymoon period that Trump enjoyed after the election before Inauguration Day — that has now largely disappeared,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data.
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Ramakrishnan → show → Data
Len Takahashi, 57, of Universal City, Texas, describes himself as conservative but voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections and for Republicans in midterm elections.
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Takahashi → describe → elections
For this midterm election, he is simply open to candidates who prioritize the economy.
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who → prioritize → economy
“I would like policies that look in the best interest of the American public,” said Takahashi, who is Japanese American.
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who → like → public
“That could be bringing down spending, a balanced budget of U.S. spending, bringing down inflation, working towards a more stable economy and, lastly, just a better atmosphere between the far left and far right.”
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That → bring → left
AAPIs trust Democrats more on most issues but are not entirely sold on the party
Democrats have gained at Republicans’ expense since Trump returned to the White House when it comes to AAPI adults’ trust in handling many key issues.
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it → trust → issues
In a March 2025 poll, AAPI adults were evenly divided over which political party would better handle the economy and immigration.
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party → divide → economy
Now, Democrats have a roughly 20-percentage-point advantage on both issues.
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Democrats → have → issues
Meanwhile, around two-thirds of AAPI adults have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view of the GOP.
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thirds → have → GOP
Only about one-quarter have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view.
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quarter → have → view
But while trust in the Democrats on specific issues has increased, AAPI adults are ambivalent about the party as a whole.
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adults → increase → whole
About half, 48%, of AAPI adults have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable impression of the Democratic Party, while 44% have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable impression.
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% → have → impression
A separate AP-NORC survey of registered voters in September found, similarly, that while voters in general are deeply dissatisfied with Trump and the GOP, few think either party is capable of solving important problems.
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party → register → problems
Louise Rider, 40, is a Democrat living in Chicago.
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Rider → live → Chicago
She believes Democrats are better than Republicans across all issues but says she’s unhappy with how the party has governed.
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party → believe → issues
“I don’t think the Democrats are doing great, I think they need a lot of change as a party,” she said.
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she → think → party
“It’s kind of a helpless feeling, that nothing will get done with both parties unless there’s major changes.”
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nothing → ’ → parties
Some Republicans still stand behind Trump.
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Republicans → stand → Trump
James Finley, 74, of Lenox, Massachusetts, said Trump deserves some understanding because he cannot bring down high prices overnight.
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he → say → prices
When it comes to Republicans in general, Finley is a little more critical.
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Finley → come → Republicans
“They’ve had the majority for a couple of years,” said Finley, whose ancestry includes Japanese heritage.
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ancestry → have → heritage
“I think they could have done a little bit more or maybe a lot more in terms of passing certain things that I wanted to pass.
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I → think → that
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
