‘Cross-party voting’: how Chinese-American voters are bucking the trends

A survey of potential Chinese-American voters suggests a significant gender gap in party affiliation as well as a high level of willingness to vote across party lines, according to results released on Thursday.

The data – from the Committee of 100 (C100), a civic group of prominent Chinese-Americans, and a University of Chicago polling firm – challenges the common perception that these citizens form a reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party.

Recently naturalised immigrants are more likely to vote Republican than the average among long-term US residents, the survey report added.

“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,” Paul Cheung, the C100 president, said.

The survey results, released on Thursday, were part of continuing research by C100 to spotlight the Asian community and highlight the stereotypes and challenges it faces.

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Why ‘becoming Chinese’ has gone viral among Americans despite US-China tensions

According to the report, 54 per cent of Chinese-Americans identify as Democrats compared with 28 per cent as Republicans. Drilling down, however, 38 per cent of Chinese-American men consider themselves Republicans, compared with 18 per cent of women.