The Indian community in the United States of America is one of its largest and is often talked about for its socioeconomic status in the country, proudly living the ‘American dream’. However, the shimmer of that dream may not be as bright anymore under the second term of United States President Donald Trump as a significant number of Indian-Americans say that they have considered leaving the country, according to a new survey by Carnegie Endowment.
Currently, over 5.2 million people of Indian origin live in the United States, according to the survey report, most of whom 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 research firm YouGov and Carnegie Endowment’s authors between November 25, 2025, and January 6, 2026, and has an overall margin of error of ±3.6 percent.
What are the migration possibilities of Indians in the US?
According to the survey, amid an increase in anti-India sentiment in the United States, around 40 per cent of Indian Americans said that they considered moving out of the US, out of which, 14 per cent said that they thought of it frequently while 26 per cent said that they thought about it only occasionally.
{{/usCountry}}According to the survey, amid an increase in anti-India sentiment in the United States, around 40 per cent of Indian Americans said that they considered moving out of the US, out of which, 14 per cent said that they thought of it frequently while 26 per cent said that they thought about it only occasionally.
{{/usCountry}}However, around 37 per cent said that the thought of leaving the US did not occur to them at all and 22 per cent said that they thought about it only rarely.
Why have some Indian-Americans considered leaving the US?
The survey also delved into the reasons due to which some Indians in the US considered leaving, be it frequently, occasionally, or rarely. The biggest reason that emerged as the driving factor behind such a consideration was frustration with the US politics (58 per cent), followed by the cost of living there (54 per cent).
Some 41 per cent of the respondents said that the reason behind their consideration is concerns about personal safety and 25 per cent said better career opportunities outside the country.
Family considerations and immigration hurdles also played a key role in swaying people into thinking of leaving the US, with 24 per cent and 20 per cent of people stating these as reasons respectively.
What are other findings of the survey?
Among other critical findings of the survey is that even though the majority of Indian-Americans align with Democratic Party, “yet the share of Democrats has declined since 2020, while Republican identification has increased modestly over that period.” The survey also found out that while there is a widespread disapproval for Trump’s policies among the Indian community in the US, it has not translated significantly into more gains for the democrats.
It also said that more exposure to racism and discrimination has become a key feature in the life of Indian Americans, however, “since 2020, there has been no significant change in the share of respondents reporting direct, personal experience with discrimination”.