Anti-China Rhetoric, Candidate Evaluation, and Attitudes toward AAPI

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

Abstract

In recent U.S. elections, Democrats and Republicans alike have increasingly employed anti-China rhetoric in their campaigns. While studies have demonstrated a strong association between anti-China messaging and hate crimes against AAPI communities, candidates have blatantly targeted China for stealing U.S. jobs, meddling U.S. elections, and spreading Covid-19, and accuse the opponent of having ties with the Chinese Communist Party. What motivates these candidates to use China-bashing language in their campaigns? Can candidates win voters’ minds by blaming China? More importantly, does the exposure to anti-China rhetoric change voters’ attitudes toward Asians and Asian Americans? Drawing upon research on partisan motivated reasoning, I hypothesize that voters will develop negative sentiment toward Asians and Asian Americans when exposed to co-partisan elites’ message targeting China. I test the implications of anti-China rhetoric for candidate evaluation and inter-group dynamics using survey experiments of white Americans. My findings show that the use of anti-China rhetoric does not reward candidates: Voters do not find candidates who use anti-China rhetoric more competent or better at representing their policy interests than others. However, when exposed to anti-China rhetoric by their co-partisan elites, white voters exhibit more negative attitudes toward Asians and Asian Americans. This tendency appears more pronounced among Republicans. These findings suggest that campaigns with anti-China rhetoric fuel hostility toward AAPI communities without generating meaningful electoral benefits.

Author

• Jeong Hyun Kim, Yonsei University