Poll Reveals Heightened Inflation Anxiety Among Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
A new comprehensive survey has uncovered that anxiety about rising costs and affordability is particularly acute among Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities, even during a period of widespread economic stress across the United States.
Significant Disparity in Economic Concerns
According to the poll conducted by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in early December, approximately half of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults identified addressing the high cost of living and inflation as their top priority for government action. This represents a substantial increase from last year, when about four in ten AAPI adults expressed similar concerns.
In stark contrast, a separate December AP-NORC poll found that only about one-third of American adults overall rated inflation and financial worries as the most pressing national problems. This significant disparity highlights how economic pressures are affecting different communities with varying intensity.
Beyond Partisan Lines
The findings indicate that this concern transcends traditional political boundaries within the AAPI community. Both AAPI Democrats and Independents – and even AAPI Republicans – are at least slightly more likely than their counterparts in the broader population to mention inflation and costs as primary concerns.
This suggests that President Donald Trump's attempts to alleviate worries about inflation and defend his tariff policies have not resonated strongly within these communities. The data reveals a growing skepticism about the government's ability to effectively address these economic challenges.
Personal Stories Reflect Broader Trends
The human impact of these economic pressures is evident in personal stories collected during the research. Jayakumar Natarajan, a 56-year-old technology manager living in the San Francisco Bay Area, is reconsidering his retirement plans due to escalating costs for basic goods and healthcare.
"I think it will really make a big difference in the way I think about retirement planning," Natarajan explained, noting that while he can currently afford his lifestyle, he's contemplating delaying retirement or potentially moving outside the United States where living expenses might be lower.
Multiple Economic Pressure Points
While inflation dominates concerns, the survey identified additional economic worries within AAPI communities. Approximately two in ten AAPI adults mentioned housing costs or employment issues as government priorities for the coming year, aligning generally with broader American concerns.
However, Black, Hispanic and AAPI adults were more likely than white adults to highlight unemployment, jobs and housing costs as critical issues requiring government attention.
Geographic and Cultural Factors
Researchers point to several factors that may explain the heightened economic anxiety within AAPI communities. The largest AAPI adult populations reside in states and major metropolitan areas with notoriously high costs of living, including California and New York, where housing and everyday expenses present particular challenges.
Furthermore, tariff policies have disproportionately affected Asian American and Pacific Islander communities who often prefer specific imported goods such as ethnic foods and clothing. Karthick Ramakrishnan, AAPI Data executive director and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that last year some AAPI shoppers were "stockpiling" at ethnic grocery stores in anticipation of impending tariffs.
"When it comes to costs for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it's just not cost of general market groceries but ethnic market groceries," Ramakrishnan observed. "It's something visible to them and potentially causing anxiety and worry."
Healthcare Concerns Compound Economic Worries
The survey revealed that healthcare represents another significant area of concern, with 44% of AAPI adults wanting the government to prioritize healthcare in the coming year. This figure aligns closely with the broader American population, reflecting renewed national focus on healthcare issues following a year of cuts to services.
Approximately six in ten AAPI adults expressed being "extremely" or "very" concerned about their healthcare costs increasing in 2026, mirroring general population concerns.
Srilasya Volam, a 25-year-old business consultant in Atlanta, Georgia, described how some family members have turned to "medical tourism" – traveling to other countries for more affordable medical procedures – as a response to high US healthcare costs.
"It's cheaper for us to get a flight ticket and go to India and have a medical procedure and come back than it is to have that done here," Volam explained, noting that during visits to India, her family would typically schedule multiple medical checkups to maximize cost-effectiveness.
Declining Confidence in Government
The survey uncovered a significant decline in confidence regarding the government's ability to address pressing national issues. Approximately seven in ten AAPI adults now report being "not at all" or only "slightly confident" that the government will make progress on key challenges, up from 60% at the end of 2024.
Ernie Roaza, a 66-year-old retired geologist in Tallahassee, Florida and first-generation immigrant from South Korea, expressed concerns about political developments, drawing parallels with his experiences growing up under a dictatorship.
"I've seen it before. It's almost laughable, but it's scary at the same time," Roaza remarked, while maintaining optimism about the country's resilience. "This administration will make things worse. But in every administration we've had, there are hills and valleys. We're in the valleys right now."
Research Methodology and Significance
The poll forms part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – communities whose perspectives are frequently underrepresented in national surveys due to small sample sizes and inadequate linguistic representation.
Conducted from December 2-8, 2025, the survey involved 1,029 US adults who identify as Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
This research provides crucial insights into the economic experiences and concerns of one of America's fastest-growing demographic groups, highlighting how inflation and affordability issues are affecting different communities with varying intensity across the nation.
