WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton holds a 41-point lead over Republican nominee Donald Trump among Asian-American registered voters headed into November’s presidential election, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The Fall 2016 National Asian American Survey, taken between Aug. 10 and Sept. 29 in 11 different languages, found that 55 percent of registered voters intended to vote for Clinton compared to 14 percent for Trump. Eight percent intended to vote for a different candidate, and 16 percent had not yet decided, according to the survey. Seven percent of registered voters declined to give an answer.
In a swing scenario — where a voter is still undecided — Clinton’s lead grows to 43 points, with 59 percent of registered voters intending to or leaning toward voting for Clinton compared to 16 percent for Trump and 16 percent who were undecided or refused to answer.
“The big takeaway is a continuation of what we saw in the Spring 2016 survey — an Asian-American population that was become more Democratic over time,” Karthick Ramakrishnan, the survey’s director, said. “We see that Trump is likely a significant reason for that shift. Trump’s unfavorables are like nothing we’ve seen before.”
The survey found that 67 percent of surveyed voters had a “very unfavorable” or “unfavorable” opinion of Trump, compared to 36 percent for Clinton.
When poised to account for the greatest issue facing the United States, 26 percent of respondents said that the economy was most important, followed by 12 percent saying national security, and 10 percent saying racism, with 23 percent of Asian-American voters under the age of 34 said that racism was the most important issue facing the country. Fifty-eight percent of respondents has a “very unfavorable” or “unfavorable” opinion of the Republican party, while nine percent held “somewhat favorable” or “very favorable” views. Regarding the Democratic party, 30 percent of respondents held “very unfavorable” or “somewhat unfavorable” views compared to 60 percent who had “somewhat favorable” or “very favorable” views.
“The electorate is important, one, for the presidential election, there are a few states like Virginia and Nevada and North Carolina where they will likely help to determine the outcome,” Ramakrishnan said. “Even in states with a smaller Asian-American population like Ohio and Florida, they could play a role given how close those races are.”