The Activation of Anti-Asian Attitudes on Mass Public Opinion

• In Event: Asian American Politics: Race, Identity, and Political Behavior

Abstract

While there is evidence showing how animosity towards racial out-groups influence public opinion, less is known regarding the political effects of anti-Asian views. How and under what conditions does anti-Asian sentiment become consequential for candidate vote choice? Although anti-Asian sentiment is not new, these negative attitudes have resurfaced during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We theorize that the persistent linkage of COVID-19 to Asian Americans by the Republican Party activated anti-Asian racial animosity in shaping mass opinion during the 2020 presidential election. Using over time cross-sectional surveys and panel data from the American National Election Studies, we examine how and when anti-Asian views become influential on vote choice. We find that holding more negative anti-Asian attitudes were not associated with voting for Republican presidential candidates between 2008-2016, including Trump the first time he ran for office. However, anti-Asian views became strongly related to voting for Trump in 2020. Further panel analysis demonstrates causal evidence that anti-Asian views measured prior in 2016 increased the likelihood of individuals’ vote switching to the Republican Party in 2020, after previously voting with the Democratic Party in 2016. We attribute the recent political salience of anti-Asian sentiment to the racialization of the pandemic. Our research contributes to burgeoning scholarship on how and when out-group racial attitudes influence political behavior and suggests, again, the centrality of race and identity in American politics.

Authors

• Nathan Kar Ming Chan, Loyola Marymount University

• Vivien Leung, Santa Clara University