The shift of Chinese Americans towards the right is influenced by a blend of historical experiences, ideological alignments, and issue-specific concerns, especially regarding education and economic policies, according to two notable thinkers on the topic, including Kate Zhou, the author of How the Farmers Changed China: Power of the People.
This trend highlights a significant realignment within the Asian American political landscape.
Stone Liu and Zhou, from the University of Hawaii, identify four key reasons for Chinese Americans increasingly shifting towards conservative politics in the United States, particularly evident in the 2020 and 2022 elections in their paper, titled, “Four major issues driving Chinese Americans to shift to the right”:
Chinese Americans are turning to the right. This phenomenon has not only been discovered in some news events, but has also been confirmed by various statistics and polls.
According to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), election results and exit polls show that Asian Americans are moving to the right in both the 2020 and 2022 general and midterm elections.
Even the mainstream media here are aware of it. On July 17, 2019, the conservative magazine National Review published an article titled "The Rise of the Chinese-American Right.” The article stated, "Since 2000, Since then, Asian Americans have overwhelmingly voted for Democratic candidates in presidential elections. But if you look beyond the past two decades, that loyalty has waned. "In 1992, the Asian vote was first lost. Calculated separately, more Asian voters once again voted for the Republican candidate than for the Democratic candidate, Bill Clinton, in 1996.”
On March 7, 2023, the Chinese version of the New York Times also published an article titled “Dyeing Red” Chinatown Community: Why are Asian American voters starting to turn to the right? The article reads: "This shift is part of a national trend. In the past two elections (2020 and 2022), Asian Americans have moved to the right, according to election results and exit polls.”
1. Chinese confusion: Left or right?
To the left or to the right? This is a “Hamlet” question. In China, this was once a matter of personal destiny, even life and death. “Right” is usually associated with reaction, regression, and capitalism. During the notorious “anti-rightist” movement, more than 500,000 intellectuals, including writers, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists, were classified as rightists and suffered unjust injustice for 20 years. And if you are a leftist, equating it with “revolution” and “progress” often means that you can rise to the top, and chickens and dogs can ascend to heaven.
The division between “left” and “right” in the United States will not lead to the life and death issue like in China. However, in today’s political context, the left is often associated with words with strong positive connotations such as “progress” and “justice”, and the social movements behind them are progressivism, democratic socialism, etc., while the right is often associated with ” “conservative” and “backward”.
In the original sense, the left may not be progressive, and the right may not be reactionary. The left is often associated with liberalism and progressivism. The left advocates big government and small society. Support broader government intervention to address social inequalities, promote social welfare and protect civil rights. Of course, there are essential differences between big government in the American context and ubiquitous government regulation in the Chinese context.
The right is usually associated with conservatism and free-market capitalism. The right advocates small government and big society, and believes that the market can lead to social equality. On economic issues, the right advocates promoting economic growth and personal freedom through tax cuts and reductions in government spending. On social issues, they emphasize traditional values, including emphasis on religion and family, and respect for existing social norms and laws.
In the United States, the “left” is typically associated with the Democratic Party, and the “right” with the Republican Party, although there is often crossover and overlap. The Democratic Party tends to support more government intervention. This philosophy materializes in economic policy. The Democratic Party advocates higher taxes, especially on the wealthy and large corporations, to fund public services and social welfare programs. Support increasing the minimum wage and strengthening workers’ rights. On social issues, there is often support for more liberal and inclusive policies, such as support for LGBTQ+ rights, women’s abortion rights, and immigrant rights.
Therefore, in the United States, whether to go left or right is more of a battle of ideas and paths.
2. Are Chinese born left-wing?
Do Chinese people go to the left or to the right? To answer this question, we must first look at the Chinese group characteristics and the group characteristics of the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. Which one has more overlap?
Geographically, Democratic supporters tend to be concentrated in urban areas and coastal states such as New York, California and Massachusetts. In terms of education, those with higher levels of education (especially those with a bachelor’s degree or above) tend to support Democrats. Ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans, tend to support the Democratic Party. In terms of age structure, young voters, especially those aged 18-29, are more likely to support the Democratic Party.
Geographically, Republican supporters tend to be concentrated in rural areas, suburbs, and central and southern states such as Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama. In terms of education level, although people with higher education levels also support the Republican Party, statistically speaking, white voters with lower education levels are more likely to support the Republican Party. In terms of ethnic structure, white voters, especially those without a college education, are more likely to support the Republican Party. In terms of age structure, middle-aged and older voters are more likely to support the Republican Party. If the Democratic left is characterized by being young, black, and poor, then the Republican Party and the right are old, white, and rich.
Let’s take a look at the ethnic characteristics of the Chinese: In terms of geographical distribution, the Chinese are typical social creatures. Mainly concentrated in large cities and their suburbs, especially in California (such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles), New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Houston. According to the Pew Survey, Chinese Americans are the largest Asian ancestry group in the United States, accounting for 23% of the Asian population, or 5.4 million people. In terms of education level, Chinese Americans generally have a high level of education, and the proportion of college graduates and above is higher than the national average. Many Chinese professionals work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and many work in professions such as healthcare, finance and education. In terms of age structure, according to U.S. Census data, as of 2019, the median age of the Asian population in the United States, including Chinese, is 34 years old, which is slightly lower than the overall median age of the United States, which is 38 years old. However, the average age of Asians born in the United States is only 19 years old, while the average age of all people born in the United States is 36 years old.
Therefore, if we simply look at identity characteristics, the identity labels of the Chinese and the identity labels of the Democratic Party are highly overlapped:
Urban, “Kochi”, young, and because of his skin color, he is naturally an ethnic minority.
Most Chinese are immigrants, and many Chinese immigrants will find resonance and close friends with liberals who advocate loose immigration policies. As immigrants, the Republican policies of certain periods may make some Chinese feel uncomfortable, such as strict immigration policies, trade protectionism, etc., which may make them more inclined to support liberals. The New York Times once said: "As Asians in the United States, we carry the pain of historical injustice—such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigrants from immigrating to the United States from 1882 to the mid-20th century. — They sound like natural allies for the Democratic Party.”
Liberals usually advocate a stronger social welfare system and an active role of the government in the economy. These policies are attractive to Chinese who have just arrived in the United States and are struggling to integrate into the social and economic system. This is also the main reason why the older generation of Chinese mostly support the Democratic Party.
Among Asians, the Chinese were once more inclined to the Democratic Party. Most of the various ethnic minorities in the United States have strong political party identification. For example, African Americans strongly support the Democratic Party, and Hispanics also mainly identify with the Democratic Party. Among Asians, Japanese and Filipino voters mainly identify with the Democratic Party, while Vietnamese voters identify more with the Republican Party due to historical reasons.
As far as Chinese Americans are concerned, the first generation of Chinese who immigrated to the United States after World War II tended to support the Republican Party, mainly because they were consistent with the anti-communist ideals of the Republican Party at that time, emphasizing personal responsibility and valuing family. Most native Chinese Americans support the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party takes more care of ethnic minorities in immigration reform, bilingual education and social welfare. According to a survey conducted by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center on November 2, 2004, on the day of the U.S. election, more than 57% of Asian voters voted for Democratic candidate John Kerry. The support rate for Asian Democrats and independents was even higher, with more than 60% % of independents voted for Kerry. Among Asian voters, 38% of Chinese voters support Bush and 61% support Kerry; 53% to 45% of Cambodians; 43% to 56% of Filipinos; 37% to 62% of Japanese voters; Koreans were 40% to 58%; Vietnamese voters were 54% to 43%. It can be seen that Chinese Americans’ support for the Democratic Party is second only to Japanese Americans.
Therefore, it seems logical and natural for the Chinese to lean left and vote for the Democratic Party. But identity labels don’t necessarily equate to political ideas. From a political perspective, the problem is not that simple. Which concept you choose is closely related to your identity and social environment.
In the 2016 election, a surprising phenomenon occurred. The number of Chinese leaning toward the Republican Party increased significantly, and many became ardent fans and staunch supporters of Trump. Detailed pre-election poll results conducted by the 80/20 Promotion Association, an elite group of Chinese Americans, show that the voting intentions of the Chinese-American community are divided according to different “identity backgrounds.” Among Chinese Americans who came to the United States from mainland China in the early 1990s, 75% supported the Republican candidate Trump; among Chinese voters from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, including early Chinese voters who came from mainland China, more than 65% supported the Democratic candidate Hillary the person. Although the support rate for Trump among the former group is high, the number of votes is not large. On the one hand, this is because a considerable number of people in this group have not yet obtained the right to vote; on the other hand, some new immigrants do not know enough about U.S. elections and may even miss important links such as voter registration.
These “angry new Chinese immigrants” or “Chinese on WeChat” have the following four characteristics: First, most of them are first-generation immigrants from mainland China, especially those who immigrated to the United States in the mid-to-late 1990s. New immigrants from mainland China. Wang Tian, the leader of the “Chinese American Trump Campaign Team” is not even a U.S. citizen, but a permanent resident of the United States. Secondly, they are highly educated, have high English proficiency, good majors, high wages, and generally good economic conditions. They dare to compete with the white mainstream society and are more confident than the old immigrants. This is similar to the situation in mainstream American society. In this election, a majority of middle-class people making between $50,000 and $100,000 voted for Trump. High-income groups among the Chinese also have the same voting tendency. Third, they are very high-profile and very persistent, releasing political energy that exceeds their numerical proportion. They organized various Chinese campaign groups, such as the North American Chinese Trump Campaign Group, the Golden Orange Club, etc. They met with Trump, canvassed the streets for Trump in many states across the United States, and provided huge political donations. , and used airplanes to fly slogans reading “Chinese Americans for Donald Trump” in 31 major American cities to promote or support Trump. They also occupy the WeChat circle, where the number of posts supporting Trump far exceeds the number of posts supporting Hillary.
The answer to this phenomenon can first be found from a conceptual perspective. Because from the perspective of cultural traditions and concepts, the Chinese are first of all a conservative ethnic group. The Chinese community is deeply influenced by Confucian culture, which emphasizes family.
Chinese Americans place a high value on hard work, individualism, and respect for authority figures. These values may align with those of the Republican Party, which emphasizes personal responsibility and limited government intervention. These values are largely consistent with the conservative view of family and social order. : Some Chinese American communities, particularly those with strong family values, may be more likely to support conservative social policies such as opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Some of the radical concepts advocated by progressivism, such as LGBTQ+ rights, are in obvious conflict with Chinese concepts.
Economic factors: like other Asian Americans Chinese Americans are often seen as model minorities who have achieved economic success through hard work and entrepreneurship. This has led some to turn to conservative politics as a way of protecting their interests from liberal policies that may harm their businesses or investments. For 2024 elections, Chinese Americans tend to view the government lockdown as the biggest threat to their buisnesses. Many small Chinese Americans lost their businesses during the Covid-19 governmet lockdown. In terms of economic philosophy, the left’s philosophy is that economic equality is higher than freedom. During Mao’s era, Chinese people were generally poor and regarded the pursuit of prosperity as the “tail of capitalism” that they wanted to cut off quickly. However, China has experienced rapid economic development and social changes in recent decades. This experience has strengthened many mainland China’s beliefs in economic freedom, market order, and individual struggle. These concepts are more likely to find resonance in conservative economic policies.
Therefore, we can see why some immigrants, especially new immigrants, have joined the Republican camp from the first day they landed in the United States in recent years. This is because they are driven by ideals and overwhelm the weight of their identity. Different from old immigrants, many new immigrants have been the beneficiaries of China’s rapid economic growth for decades. They bring assets with them and buy houses, cars, and invest and manage money as soon as they arrive in the United States. Therefore, their ideas are more consistent with those of the right.
3. Issue driven:
However, analyzing it from the perspective of the issue allows us to see the essence of the problem. Issues involve the vital interests of voters, so they have a more direct and significant impact on voters’ political orientation. For example, economic policies directly affect the economic status of individuals and families. For example, tax policies, employment opportunities, wage levels, social welfare, etc. will directly affect the income and living standards of voters. Education policy directly affects the future development and opportunities of constituents and their family members. Issues such as the allocation of educational resources, improvement of education quality, and tuition fee reductions are directly related to voters’ education level and future career development. Voters who care about a particular issue will often choose to support a party or candidate that aligns with their position on that issue.
4. Educational issues: the number one driver of Chinese people turning right:
The Chinese are a nation known for their emphasis on education. From Confucius and the Confucian tradition, “everything is inferior, only reading is high” has penetrated into the blood of this nation. The Cultural Revolution launched by Mao Zedong, which branded millions of intellectuals as “stinky old men” and praised “Mr. Bai Juan”, did not completely eliminate this gene from this nation.
When the Chinese came to the United States, this gene was not weakened but strengthened. This is first of all because American education has a strong appeal. There are many famous schools with excellent reputations. This is especially because, as a relatively disadvantaged ethnic minority, the Chinese regard education as the only way to improve their economic status and upgrade their social level. The Chinese did not hesitate to use tutoring and other means to flock to the alleys of prestigious schools.
The proportion of Asian students, including Chinese, in top American universities far exceeds their proportion in the general U.S. population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians accounted for approximately 5.9% of the total U.S. population in 2019. Data from 2020 shows that 42.2% of undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are Asian students. Caltech has 45.4% Asian students.
The outstanding performance of Chinese students triggered the “education war” in the United States. This is concentrated in the debate over the existence or elimination of “affirmative action”.
Against the background of the surging civil rights movement in the United States, in 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy used the term “affirmative action” for the first time and passed an executive order109.
This is highly possible that Chinese Americans will vote for Trump in 2024.
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