Survey Reveals Strong Disapproval of Trump Among Indian Americans
A comprehensive survey conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has uncovered significant disapproval of former President Donald Trump's performance during his second term among Indian Americans. The 2026 Indian American Attitudes Survey (IAAS), carried out in partnership with YouGov, found that a striking 71 percent of the 1,000 Indian American adults surveyed disapproved of how Trump handled his overall job as President. In contrast, only 29 percent expressed strong or somewhat approval.
Critical Views on Policy and Relations
The findings, when compared to data from a nationwide YouGov poll from December 2025, indicate that Indian Americans were substantially more critical of Trump than the overall U.S. population. This report emerged one year into President Donald Trump's second term, highlighting that the community is reassessing its political and social position. This reassessment occurs amid tensions in U.S.-India relations, domestic policy shifts, and increasing reports of online hate speech targeting Indian Americans.
Large majorities also disapproved of Trump's handling of key policy areas. Specifically, the survey revealed that:
- 64 percent disapproved of his immigration policy.
- 68 percent disapproved of his handling of the domestic economy.
- 70 percent disapproved of his international economic policy, including trade and tariffs.
In many cases, respondents expressed strong disapproval rather than mild opposition, underscoring deep-seated concerns.
Negative Evaluations of US-India Relations
Evaluations of Trump's management of U.S.-India relations were also predominantly negative. Fifty-five percent disapproved of his approach to relations with India, while only 20 percent approved. Roughly one-quarter reported no opinion, suggesting that foreign policy issues may have limited salience in electoral decision-making for this community.
Political Affiliation and Ideology
Indian Americans continued to identify disproportionately with the Democratic Party, but this attachment has weakened since 2020. Democratic identification declined to 46 percent, while Republican affiliation increased modestly to 19 percent. Independents accounted for 29 percent of respondents. Ideologically, 32 percent identified as moderates, forming the largest single bloc and placing the community largely at the center of the political spectrum.
Policy Priorities and Economic Concerns
Economic issues dominated the policy priorities of Indian Americans. Twenty-one percent cited inflation and prices as their most important issue, followed by jobs and the economy at 17 percent. Health care and immigration were the only other issues registering in double digits, while foreign policy concerns remained comparatively low, aligning with the earlier finding on limited salience.
Widespread Experiences of Discrimination
Experiences of bias remained widespread among Indian Americans. Twenty-seven percent believed that Indian Americans faced "a lot" of discrimination in the United States. About half reported having personally experienced discrimination in recent years, most commonly based on skin colour, country of origin, or religion. Since the start of 2025, one in four respondents reported being called a slur.
Respondents also reported frequent exposure to online racism, with nearly half saying they encountered anti-Indian content on social media regularly. Nearly one-third indicated that discrimination concerns led them to avoid political discussions online, and roughly one-fifth reported modifying travel, public expression, or civic participation out of fear of harassment. However, the share reporting direct, personal experiences of discrimination did not significantly change compared to prior survey waves.
Impact on Daily Life and Future Plans
Many respondents said discrimination altered how they spoke, lived, or participated in public life, though most did not plan to leave the United States. While 14 percent said they frequently considered relocating abroad, a majority continued to recommend the country for employment, reflecting a continued belief in economic opportunity despite the challenges.
Reactions to Political Events
The survey also found that reactions to symbolic political events reflected ideological divides more than identity-based solidarity. Sixty-eight percent expressed enthusiasm for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's election, largely on ideological grounds. Public remarks by Vice President JD Vance regarding religion and marriage drew negative responses linked to concerns about religious inclusion and representation.
Overall Implications
Collectively, the findings indicate that one year into Trump's second term, anxieties about discrimination and the shifting political environment coexisted with a continued belief in opportunity in the United States. The full study was fielded between November 25, 2025, and January 6, 2026, and had a margin of error of ±3.6 percent.
About the Study
The report, authored by Sumitra Badrinathan of American University, Devesh Kapur of Johns Hopkins-SAIS, Andy Robaina of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Milan Vaishnav of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, built on earlier IAAS waves conducted in 2020 and 2024. It examined partisan identity, vote preferences, policy priorities, evaluations of political leaders, and experiences with discrimination, providing a nuanced view of the Indian American community's perspectives during a critical political period.
