Chinese Americans show varied party ties and voting across lines: Survey

Chinese American voters show significant differences in party affiliation by gender, while also demonstrating an unusual willingness to vote across party lines, according to new research that challenges assumptions about the community as a reliable Democratic voting bloc.

The research, released by the Committee of 100 and NORC at the University of Chicago, found that although Chinese Americans overall continue to lean Democratic, party identification varies substantially within the community.

"The findings should make both parties want to engage with Chinese Americans, a fast-growing community that could make the difference between victory and defeat in close races," said C100 President Paul Cheung.

The report, "Beyond the party line: Chinese American partisanship and vote choice", found 54 percent of Chinese Americans identify as Democrats, compared with 28 percent who identify as Republicans. But 38 percent of Chinese American men identify as Republicans, more than double the 18 percent of Chinese American women who do so.

Sam Collitt, the C100 lead researcher, said gender, US nativity and time since immigration were the largest sources of variation in party affiliation.

"These sources of variation also appear considerably larger among Chinese Americans than among other major racial and ethnic groups in our data," Collitt said.

The research also found that party affiliation does not necessarily determine how Chinese Americans vote.

In the 2024 presidential election,11 percent of Chinese American Republicans reported voting for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, a higher rate of crossover voting than among any other racial or ethnic group examined in the study.

The study found even higher rates of Chinese American Republicans voting for Democrats in smaller races, while approximately 3 percent of Chinese American Democrats reported voting for Republicans.

"It certainly challenges conventional assumptions about party politics in the US — in that partisanship is conventionally thought to be the preeminent decider of vote choice in national and gubernatorial elections," Collitt said.

Birthplace and immigration history are other major dividing lines.

Among Chinese Americans born in the United States, 71 percent identify as Democrats. Among those born outside the US, the share falls to 45 percent, while 33 percent identify as Republicans.

The difference is even more pronounced when immigrants are divided by how long they have lived in the country. About 53 percent of Chinese Americans who immigrated before 1980 identify as Democrats. Among those who arrived after 2010, 40 percent identify as Republican while only 38 percent identify as Democrats.

The findings could become particularly relevant as the 2026 midterm elections approach. But nearly one in five Chinese Americans identifies as nonpartisan, suggesting that party affiliation does not necessarily guarantee electoral support, said Collitt.

"They shouldn't take Chinese American or Asian American voters for granted or disregard them just because they identify with a particular party," he said.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com