The Indian community in the USA is one of the largest and is often talked about for its socio-economic status in the country, proudly living the “American Dream”. However, the glimmer of that dream may not be so bright anymore under US President Donald Trump’s second term, as a large number of Indian Americans say they have considered leaving the country, according to a new study by the Carnegie Endowment.
Currently, more than 5.2 million people of Indian origin live in the United States, according to the survey report, and most of them have a negative assessment of Trump’s second term so far, including disapproval of his handling of the domestic economy, international economic policy and immigration.
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The 2026 Indian American Attitudes Survey (IAAS) was conducted in partnership with authors of research firm YouGov and the Carnegie Endowment between November 25, 2025 and January 6, 2026, and has an overall margin of error of ±3.6 percent.
What are the immigration possibilities for Indians in the United States?
According to the poll, amid rising anti-Indian sentiment in the US, about 40% of Indian Americans said they are considering exiting the US, with 14% of them saying they think about it frequently while 26% said they think about it only occasionally.
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However, about 37% said the idea of leaving the United States had never crossed their minds, and 22% said they rarely thought about it.
Why did some Indian Americans consider leaving the United States?
The survey also touched on the reasons why some Indians in the US consider leaving, whether frequently, occasionally or rarely. The biggest reason that emerged as a driving factor behind this consideration was frustration with US policy (58 percent), followed by the cost of living there (54 percent).
About 41 percent of respondents said their reasoning was concerns about personal safety, and 25 percent said job opportunities were better outside the country.
Family considerations and immigration barriers also played a major role in persuading people to consider leaving the United States, with 24% and 20% of people citing these reasons respectively.
What are the other results of the survey?
Another important finding of the survey is that although a majority of Indian Americans align with the Democratic Party, “the share of Democrats has declined since 2020, while Republican identification has increased modestly over that period.” The survey also found that although there was widespread rejection of Trump’s policies among the Indian community in the US, they did not translate significantly into further gains for Democrats.
She also said that greater exposure to racism and discrimination has become a major feature in the lives of Indian Americans, however, “since 2020, there has been no significant change in the proportion of participants who reported direct personal experiences with discrimination.”
