Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) In a recent poll, inflation emerged as the most significant election issue for the largest group of Indian-Americans surveyed, while abortion and jobs/economy ranked highest for the second-largest groups.
US-India relations, along with education and national security, were noted as the least important issues by the respondents.
According to the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 17 percent of participants identified inflation/prices as their primary concern. Meanwhile, abortion and reproductive rights and jobs/economy were both mentioned as top issues by 13 percent of respondents.
There was a noticeable partisan divide regarding the main issues. For 39 percent of respondents who identified as Republican, the economy—including prices and jobs—was the foremost concern, compared to only 24 percent of Democratic respondents. Abortion ranked as the top issue for 19 percent of Democrats, while just 5 percent of Republicans felt the same.
This division mirrors the current national sentiment. Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats primarily on economic grounds, particularly related to prices and immigration. In contrast, Democrats have concentrated on abortion, followed by economic issues.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for Carnegie, involved online responses from 714 Indian-American citizens between September 18 and October 15, 2024. Respondents were asked to prioritize their most important election issues.
Other issues highlighted included immigration (10 percent), healthcare (9 percent), climate change and the environment (8 percent), civil liberties (7 percent), crime (6 percent), taxes and government spending (5 percent), US-India relations (4 percent), education (4 percent), and national security (4 percent).
The survey report noted, “There are more than 5.2 million people of Indian origin residing in the United States today. Indian-Americans are now the second-largest immigrant group in the United States and have become a significant political force due to the community’s rapid demographic growth, the close margins in modern presidential elections, and the diaspora’s remarkable professional achievements.”
