Indian Americans Could Be Critical to This Year's Elections, Says New Study

Focus Group Participants Deeply Troubled by America's Direction After Eight
Years of President Bush, Placing Great Hope in Barack Obama

FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The political attitudes
and values of Indian Americans tend to be more progressive and Democratic than
other Americans of comparable backgrounds, according to a focus group of
likely Indian American voters conducted in Northern Virginia this summer by
the Campaign for America's Future. Participating voters saw themselves aligned
closely with Democrats and very far from Republicans on a wide range of
economic, cultural and international issues.
The opinion research marks the first exploration of its type into the
rapidly growing Indian American population, which holds tremendous potential
for political activism if properly engaged.
In a memorandum to community and political leaders that outlines the
study's findings, Campaign for America's Future communications director Toby
Chaudhuri said that the results of the study suggest enormous opportunities to
engage Indian Americans for support with progressive and Democratic battles.
"These Indian Americans clearly saw Barack Obama as a candidate who shares
their values, has the right priorities for turning around our troubled economy
and as the best possible leader to re-establish our standing in the world,"
said Chaudhuri. "Participants in the focus group were deeply troubled by where
they saw the country headed after eight years of President Bush, placing great
hope in Barack Obama, who they see as a jolt of fresh air."
Participants were knowledgeable about some issues unique to the Indian
American community, but those issues were not their priorities. Further, their
attitudes toward core issues like our country's direction, the economy, the
war in Iraq and energy policy, were virtually indistinguishable from other
progressive-leaning Americans.
The focus group of Indian Americans is the first of a potentially broader
research project by the Campaign for America's Future.
**NOTE: To obtain more detailed findings from the Campaign for America's
Future's Indian American focus group, please visit
http://tinyurl.com/Indo-Am-Focus-Group .**
SOURCE Campaign for America's Future

Toby Chaudhuri of Campaign for America's Future, +1-202-587-1653,
chaudhuri@ourfuture.org