--- title: "Asian American voter turnout lags behind other groups; some non-voters say they’re ‘too busy’" description: "Asian-American voters lag whites and blacks in turnout in midterm elections, an analysis of Census Bureau data shows." date: "2014-04-09" authors: - name: "Jens Manuel Krogstad" job_title: "Former Senior Writer and Editor" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jens-manuel-krogstad/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/04/09/asian-american-voter-turnout-lags-behind-other-groups-some-non-voters-say-theyre-too-busy/" categories: - "Asian Americans" - "Demographics & Politics" - "Election 2014" - "Hispanic/Latino Voters" - "Political & Civic Engagement" - "Voter Demographics" - "Voter Participation" --- # Asian American voter turnout lags behind other groups; some non-voters say they’re ‘too busy’ [![Asian-American voters lag whites and blacks in turnout in midterm elections](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/04/FT_Asian_Vote.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/04/02/hispanics-punch-below-their-weight-in-midterm-elections/) About three-in-ten Asian-American eligible voters have cast ballots in midterm elections since 1998, a much lower turnout rate than that of whites and blacks, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. With an estimated 9 million eligible voters in 2014, the Asian-American electorate for this fall’s midterm elections makes up 4% of all eligible voters. By contrast, Hispanics—the largest minority group—today make up [11.3% of all eligible voters](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/04/02/hispanics-punch-below-their-weight-in-midterm-elections/). In the run-up to the 2012 president election, some analysts called the Asian-American electorate a [potential swing vote](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/asian-americans-2012s-stealth-swing-vote/256567/), despite its relatively small size. Immigrants make up 74% of the Asian-American adult population. Among eligible Asian-American voters– U.S. citizens ages 18 or older– immigrants vote about as often as the native born (31%-31%.) In 2010, Asian-American voter turnout was 31%. That’s about the same as the [turnout among Hispanics](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/04/02/hispanics-punch-below-their-weight-in-midterm-elections/), and far below blacks (44%) and whites (49%). Turnout lagged even though the level of education and income of the Asian-American electorate, as a whole, is higher than for whites, blacks and Hispanics. Research has shown that, among all adults, people with higher levels of education and people with greater income are [more likely to vote](https://www.pewresearch.org/2010/10/29/the-party-of-nonvoters/) in U.S. elections. This is true of Asian Americans as well. Nonetheless, among the college educated, Asian American voter turnout (40%) lagged behind that of whites (64%), blacks (57%) and Hispanics (50%). This is despite the fact that some 47% of Asian-American eligible voters in 2010 had a college education, a rate higher than for whites (31%), blacks (18%) and Hispanics (16%). The voter turnout gap between Asian Americans and other groups narrowed among those who have not completed high school. [![Despite higher income and education levels, Asian American voters lag behind blacks and whites in midterm election turnout](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/04/FT_New_Gap.png)](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/04/FT_New_Gap.png) We found a similar trend among Asian Americans of higher income – their voter turnout also lagged behind whites, blacks and Hispanics. A greater proportion of Asian-American eligible voters in 2010 had annual family incomes of $50,000 or more than did whites, blacks or Hispanics. Among Asian Americans, those with this income level made up 62% of eligible voters and had a 35% turnout rate. Among whites, those with this income made up 54% of eligible voters and had a 55% turnout rate. So, why the lower voter turnout among Asian Americans? Among registered voters who didn’t go to the polls in 2010, Asian-Americans were most likely to say they were too busy to vote. About 37% of Asian Americans chose “Too busy, conflicting work or school schedule,” as a reason for not voting, [compared with about one-in-four Hispanics, whites and blacks](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2011/04/26/the-latino-electorate-in-2010-more-voters-more-non-voters/). Asian Americans recently passed Hispanics [as the largest group of new immigrants](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/) to the United States. The diverse Asian-American population claims roots in dozens of countries in the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The [six largest groups by country of origin](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/#fnref-12979-5) are Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans and Japanese Americans. Detailed data for these sub-groups on voting was not available in 2012. However, starting in January 2013, the Census Bureau has included data on the largest Asian-American groups in the [Current Population Survey](http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/ftp/cps_ftp.html). Half of Asian Americans are Democrats or lean Democratic, while only 28% identify with or lean toward the GOP, according to a 2012 [Pew Research Center report](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/). In 2010 House races, Asian-Americans favored Democrats over Republicans by 58% to 40%, [according to exit polls](http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/polls/#USH00p1) reported by CNN.