About one-in-ten Asian Americans now identify Hinduism as their religion (11%), essentially the same as in 2012 (10%). An additional 6% of all Asian Americans say they feel close to Hinduism aside from religion, for reasons such as ancestry or culture.9
Among Asian American adults who identify as Indian, about half say their present religion is Hinduism (48%), roughly the same share as in 2012 (51%). In total, two-thirds of Indian Americans say either that they are Hindu or that they consider themselves close to Hinduism.
Importance of religion among Hindus
One-third of Asian American Hindus say religion is very important in their lives, while another 38% say it is somewhat important. And 31% say they attend religious services monthly or more often.
Of all the Asian American religious groups large enough to be analyzed in the survey, Hindus are by far the most likely to say they use an altar, shrine or religious symbol for worship in their home: 79% say they do this. That share increases to 89% among Hindus who say religion is very important in their lives.
Social and demographic profile of Asian American Hindus
Four-in-ten Asian American Hindus say all or most of their friends have the same religion they do, which is significantly higher than the share of the overall Asian American population that reports such uniformity in their friendship circle (40% vs. 30%).
Demographically, Asian American Hindus stand out in a variety of other ways. About three-quarters (77%) are under age 50, making them one of the youngest Asian American religious groups, with a median age of 40.
Roughly nine-in-ten Asian American Hindu adults (92%) were born in a country other than the United States, the highest share of any Asian American religious group that was born abroad. At the same time, religiously unaffiliated Asian Americans who consider themselves close to Hinduism are more likely than those who religiously identify as Hindu to be U.S. born (35% vs. 8%).
In terms of socioeconomic status, Asian American Hindus also rank exceptionally high. About six-in-ten have a postgraduate degree (61%), compared with 22% of all Asian American adults. And 44% of Asian American Hindus have a family income of $150,000 or greater, compared with 32% of Asian Americans overall. On average, Hindu Americans have higher levels of education than any of the other Asian American religious groups large enough to be analyzed separately.
Politically, three-quarters of Asian American Hindus identify as Democrats or Democratic leaners, compared with 62% of Asian Americans overall.
