Indian Americans are more likely to vote for the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden than Republican incumbent Donald Trump in the upcoming 2020 US Presidential ElectionIANS/BI India
Indian Americans are more likely to vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 US Presidential Election rather than the incumbent Donald Trump.
Both the Democratic and Republican party have been vying for their attention because of the power their votes hold in swing states.
Here are 20 charts explaining why Indian Americans prefer Biden over Trump — and it has surprisingly little to do with Kamala Harris or India-US relations.
Final polling is underway for the US Presidential election, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden seems to leading in the national polls against the incumbent Donald Trump. However, Biden's win isn't secure until count in is from US' eight swing states. Not only do these states hold the power to shift the balance of power, but they're also states where Indian American voters are a key demographic. And, Carnegie's survey shows that Indian American voters in the US are more likely to vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
"In select swing states, the Indian American population is larger than the margin of victory that separated Hillary Clinton and Trump in the closely contested 2016 presidential race," said Sumitra Badrinath from the University of Pennsylvania in a statement.
This is not to say that Trump hasn't been doing his part to win over the Indian American vote. Just a few weeks ahead of the election, the video of Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking hand-in-hand at 'Howdy Houston' last year went viral with and managed to amass more than a million views on social platforms.
Yet, the Indian American Attitudes Survey (IAAS) finds that over 70% of Indian American voters intend to support Biden over Trump in the November election. They account for slightly more than 1% of the entire US population and less than 1% of registered voters but are the second-largest immigrant group in the US.
The IAAS was conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in collaboration with analytics firm YouGov, and it surveyed around 936 Indian American US citizens. There were 1,200 respondents overall, between September 1 and September 20.
Here are 20 charts that explain why Indian Americans prefer Biden over Trump in the 2020 US Presidential Election:
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1. The Indian American voting population is heavily foreign-born and growing rapidly
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2. Demographics show the average age of the Indian American voter is 35 years old.
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3. While most of Indian American citizens classify themselves as moderate, a larger share of the remaining respondents place themselves on the ideological left.
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4. However, most Indian Americans continue to remain behind the Democratic Party.
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5. Indian Americans identify strongly with whichever party they align themselves with, suggesting political polarisation within the community.
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6. At the end of the day, more than 70% of Indian Americans surveyed plan to vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 US Presidential Election.
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7. Preferences have Indian Americans have not changed over time. Over 90% of the respondents who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 plan to vote for Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election.
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8. There is no linear relationship between the Indian American voter's age and their choice of the presidential candidate.
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9. Indian Americans of all religious faiths prefer Biden to Trump. However, Muslim support for Biden is considerably higher than Hindu support, which is still higher than Christian support. Vice versa holds for Trump, who gets the majority of Christian support.
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10. Indian American men and women both prefer Biden to Trump by considerable margins for the US presidency.
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11. Indian American men and women both prefer Biden to Trump by considerable margins for the US presidency.
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12. The primary reason for Indian Americans to lean away from the Republican Party is that it's unwelcoming of minorities.
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13. Kamala Harris is a crucial figure in the decision to vote for Indian Americans during the 2020 US Presidential Election — but did not sway their voting preferences.
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14. Nonetheless, for most, Kamala Harris’ influence was largely based on the fact she is Indian American followed by the belief that she would be a centrist/moderate voice in a putative Biden administration.
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15. Critics less likely to vote for the democrats argue that they have either made up their mind or feel that Kamala Harris identifies more with her Black roots, than Indian American.
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16. For Indian Americans, when it comes to US-India relations, they believe that Democrats are likely to do a better job than the Republican Party if elected.
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17. However, US-India relations ranks second-to-last for Indian American voters when choosing their Presidential preference.
IAAS2020/BI India
18. The economy is the top priority for Republicans while Democrats are more concerned about healthcare
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19. The majority believe the US is headed in the wrong direction.
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20. Indian Americans’ preferences for the 2020 US Presidential Election skewing towards Biden are broadly in line with the voting preferences of other minorities.
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