event

Deciphering the Indian American Vote

Thu. October 31st, 2024
Live Online

Indian Americans are now the second largest immigrant group in the United States. Rapid demographic growth, the diaspora’s professional success, and close margins in modern presidential elections have led to the emergence of Indian Americans as important political actors. The political leanings of this group are especially salient in the leadup to the 2024 U.S. elections, as incumbent vice president Kamala Harris is the first presidential nominee of Indian heritage on the ballot. Yet, despite the rising political profile of Indian Americans, their political attitudes have not been the subject of extensive empirical analysis.  

Ahead of the elections, a new nationally representative survey conducted in partnership with research and analytics firm YouGov —the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey—gathers new empirical data that can help characterize the political attitudes and preferences of Indian Americans. 

To discuss the findings of this new study, please join the Carnegie Endowment’s South Asia Program for a conversation with co-authors Sumitra Badrinathan of American University, Devesh Kapur of Johns Hopkins-SAIS, and Milan Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment. 

Domestic PoliticsCivil SocietyDemocracyUnited StatesIndia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Devesh Kapur

Starr Foundation Professor, Johns Hopkins (SAIS)

Devesh Kapur is the Starr Foundation Professor of South Asian studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is the author of three books on migration, including The Other One Percent: Indians in America (with Sanjoy Chakravorty and Nirvikar Singh).

Milan Vaishnav

Director and Senior Fellow, South Asia Program

Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program and the host of the Grand Tamasha podcast at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His primary research focus is the political economy of India, and he examines issues such as corruption and governance, state capacity, distributive politics, and electoral behavior. He also conducts research on the Indian diaspora.

Sumitra Badrinathan

Assistant Professor, American University

Sumitra Badrinathan is an assistant professor in the department of Politics, Governance, and Economics at American University's School of International Service. Her research focuses on political communication in South Asia, with an emphasis on new platforms and their effects on political misinformation, media trust, and the quality of democracy.