The Indian American Electorate in 2024

Indian Americans, now one of the largest diaspora groups in the U.S., are playing a pivotal role in the 2024 presidential race. As Kamala Harris, the first Indian American at the top of the ticket, vies for the presidency, new data from the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey offers insights into this diverse community’s political leanings.

Indian Americans continue to support the Democratic Party, with six in ten registered voters intending to vote for Harris. But the leadup to the 2024 election has also brought some surprises. The survey found a new, striking gender gap in voting preferences, driven largely by young men. 67 percent of Indian American women intend to vote for Harris, compared to 53 percent for Indian American men.?

Several issues have emerged as top-tier policy items for Indian American voters this election year. Inflation ranked as the most important issue, followed by abortion, jobs, and immigration. In line with national voter attitudes, abortion access and reproductive rights were particularly salient for Democrats and women. The data also suggest that the Republican Party’s disadvantage with Indian Americans stems from its specific policy stances -- Democrats cited the GOP's intolerance of minorities, abortion stance, and ties to Christian evangelicalism as reasons for not identifying with the party.

Read more key findings in the full article, “Indian Americans at the Ballot Box: Results From the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey,” by Sumitra Badrinathan , Devesh Kapur , and Milan Vaishnav .

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