WASHINGTON, DC – In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the New American Voters (NAV) campaign released new data today spotlighting key demographics of the estimated 3.5 million new American citizens that have naturalized since the last presidential election. The data, analyzed by the U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego and released in collaboration with the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), reveals that individuals originally from Asian countries make up the largest group – over 37% – of newly naturalized citizens since the last presidential election, followed by North and Central America (33.5%), Africa (10.9%), Europe (9.5%), South America (8.3%), and Oceania (0.5%).
Additional key data points:
- New American Voters are ethnically and racially diverse. Among the top five countries of origin for people naturalizing since November 2020, Mexico was the lead country, with 13.1% of all naturalizations, followed by India (6.8%), the Philippines (5.3%), Cuba (4.3%), and the Dominican Republic (3.8%).
- New American Voters are young to middle-aged. Nearly six in ten people that have naturalized since November 2020 are under the age of 45, with 32% aged 18-34.
- New American Voters are women. Of newly naturalized Americans since November 2020, 55% – or nearly 2 million – are female.
As a coalition of 70 refugee and immigrant rights organizations – approximately a third of which are AAPI-led – the National Partnership for New Americans celebrates with the over 1.3 million Asian Americans that took the important step of naturalizing since the last presidential election.
“As we honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we celebrate with more than 1.3 million new Americans of Asian Descent who have naturalized since the last presidential election,” said Nicole Melaku, NPNA executive director. “And among the total 3.5 million people nationwide that have naturalized since November 2020, we see a powerful emerging voting bloc that is young, ethnically diverse, and predominantly women. As this election year unfolds, we encourage these New American Voters to build on the momentum they’ve started. To all new Americans across the nation: your voice matters; your vote matters. Register, mobilize, and cast your ballot in November. Together, we wield the power to strengthen our democracy and shape a more representative future.”
Said Dr. Tom Wong, Associate Professor of Political Science and U.S. Immigration and Policy Center (USIPC) Director, “Against the backdrop of AAPI Heritage Month, these new data highlight the growing influence that AAPIs are having on American society. And, to the extent that these new Americans become voters, AAPIs are poised to make their voices heard while helping to shape the direction of the country in this critical election year.”
This new data report is part of the 2024 NAV campaign’s efforts to uplift newly naturalized citizens as a powerful voting bloc this election year by conducting polling of new citizens in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, and encouraging the 3.5 million newly naturalized citizens nationwide to ensure they are registered to vote and turn out to the polls this November. The campaign was launched last month in the swing state of Arizona, where over 62,000 voting-age adults have become newly naturalized citizens since the last presidential election. The campaign encourages all eligible individuals to take advantage of the new reduced fee for naturalization now available to a majority (71%) of eligible-to-naturalize American residents in time to register to vote this year.
With immigration as the nation’s top issue this election year, and with the stakes increasingly high for immigrant communities, those most directly impacted by immigration and with the power to vote—New American Voters—have an outsized opportunity and responsibility to turn out to the polls.
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The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 70 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 40 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org