Battleground state voters blame politicians’ anti-China rhetoric for rise in anti-AAPI hate crimes

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this report mischaracterized the respondents in the survey.

A new poll has found that a majority of voters in key battleground states hold political leaders accountable for the rise in hate crimes targeted toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). 

The poll, conducted by the National AAPI Power Fund, found that 60 percent of likely voters in eight battleground states and California said that they believe that political leaders’ rhetoric on China is responsible for the increase in AAPI hate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community increased by 339 percent, according to a 2022 study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Members of the community faced racist rhetoric, verbal abuse, harassment and physical violence. Today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent nearly 5.5 percent of the country’s population.

“Over the last four years, there has been increasingly aggressive rhetoric about the Chinese government, and these messages have led to increasing violence and racist attacks against Asian Americans in the United States,” said EunSook Lee of the Power Fund. “Our research shows that voters across the board, including AAPI voters, see through the scapegoating. AAPI voters are critical to winning a multi-racial path to democracy; they are tired of being scapegoated and are weary of Republican political extremism.”

The survey found that 80 percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander voters included in the survey said that they believe violence toward their community is on the rise, and most say leaders should cut back on their anti-China rhetoric without ostracizing the nation.

More than 50 percent of all respondents said they do not like messaging that is either too antagonistic or too accommodating toward China. 

That doesn’t mean respondents want politicians to ignore China, though; 61 percent of voters in the survey said the U.S. needs to work with China for both global stability and a stronger U.S. economy. 

“It’s important that candidates and organizations know that anti-China rhetoric doesn’t foster any short-term or long-term gains,” said Joshua Ulibarri, partner at Lake Research Partners, an organization that conducted focus groups on Asian American and Pacific Islander members and others in August. 

“The data is clear. Voters are desperate to hear solutions and not place blame. Candidates can and have won without pointing fingers at China or skirting responsibility for inflation and job creation.”

The poll of 900 likely 2024 general election voters, including 100 AAPI voters, took place Sept. 18-24 and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.

–Updated on Nov. 9 at 2:33 p.m.