Politicians' anti-China language prompted anti-Asian violence, battleground voters say in new...

The results are proof that voters “see through the scapegoating,” said EunSook Lee, director of the National AAPI Power Fund.

A new poll released on Wednesday revealed that most potential 2024 voters in battleground states believe that politicians’ use of anti-China rhetoric was responsible for the previous spike in violence toward Asian Americans.

The results of the survey, conducted by the National AAPI Power Fund, is proof that voters “see through the scapegoating,” EunSook Lee, director of the organization, said.

“The work of communities around the country has been significant enough that there’s a recognition that there have been cases of violence against Asian Americans,” Lee said. “We need to see a decrease in inflammatory rhetoric.”

The poll, which was conducted in September, surveyed 900 likely 2024 general election voters across eight battleground states including Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, in addition to California. It showed that 61% of likely voters believe politicians’ anti-China rhetoric, casting the country as an economic and national security threat, contributed to anti-Asian violence.

The study also included surveys from Lake Research Partners that showed participants want to “hear solutions and not place blame,” Joshua Ulibari, partner at the research firm, said in a news release.