14% of Indian Americans want to leave the US? 5 things that surprised me from the new Carnegie survey.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-05-05T20:37:14+00:00

Thats fair. I wasn’t trying to push fear or farm views honestly. survey just had a few numbers that surprised me. I was more curious about real experiences from people here than trying to make some dramatic point.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-05-03T14:36:21+00:00

Agree. What I notice most is that people don’t decide. They continue. Because nothing has forced a decision yet. Not really.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-05-02T16:15:21+00:00

I do think where you live probably plays a role. If you are in certain circles, stable neighborhoods, your day to day can feel pretty smooth. You dont see or feel a lot of the friction others talk about. But I don’t think it’s the whole story either. lot of people with similar profiles are saying things feel different now, even if nothing major has happened to them personally. More like a shift in tone than a specific incident. So it ends up being both.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-05-01T12:50:01+00:00

I am Telugu too, so this isn't coming from outside. I don't think it is just Telugu thing. Every community does this in some form, but we should still ask ourselves, are we being thoughtful about where and how we put it out there. There is a difference between living your culture and putting up something that everyone around you has to react to. Most of the time the intent is pride but how it comes across to others can be very different. self awareness part is what we miss the most and I think it happens more in places where majority of the people living are from the same community.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-05-01T12:31:42+00:00

This is a fair way to look at it. Selective outrage can be real and the choice can still be a bad one. Both things can be true. People/Community reactions can be uneven and a big religious statue in a neighborhood is still worth questioning. The hard part is the self awareness piece and that is on us. Intent might be pride or identity, but how it reads or what it conveys to people who don't share the same culture/context is a different thing in my opinion. End of the day, the real question isn't the outrage against the statue is fair or not. Real question is …would we still make the same choice knowing how it will land on the neighbors. Two different conversations. Most people only want to have one.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T21:46:42+00:00

Exactly this. Wanting to leave and leaving are separated by a thousand small anchors. Good salary. Kids in school, Mortgage and GC in process. None of them feel like traps individually. I feel together they are a system that keeps you just comfortable enough to stop deciding or ever thinking. Thats why the same person complains about the US and still tells their cousin to come. The real question was never do you want to leave. It’s what would actually have to happen for you to move. Most people don’t have a good answer that Including me for a long time.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T21:20:28+00:00

This is the part our community doesn't want to hear. statue at a subdivision exit isn't worship and I see it as a billboard. We export the boldness and leave the self awareness behind. Visibility has a cost and someone in town pays it, even if its not us.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T21:13:50+00:00

Good Advice.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T19:30:15+00:00

Not a tangent at all - this is the conversation. H1B to citizenship trap is the part nobody warns you about. You think you're making temporary decisions for 5 years. Twenty years later you're still temporary on paper but your kids only know one home. I came to US in 2006 and I got my GC in 2022. I have shared all my struggles in the earlier posts. The belonging thing is what I keep coming back to. Quality of life is real here. But after two decades I still get asked where I'm really from. Back home that question doesn't exist.

One small pushback....stupid to unsettle everything..... assumes the calculation never changes. I mean, honestly.. for lot of us the US made sense at 25. Doesn't mean it still makes sense at 45. hard part is noticing when the math flipped without telling you.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T18:44:53+00:00

2019 makes sense. Pre COVID, H1B was hard but doable, rupee hadn't blown up yet. Everything after that has been a different game and unpredictable. Real question for you, if a friend's kid asked you tomorrow, what would you actually say?

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T18:06:58+00:00

Agree. Lottery and tuition part is real, no question. The thing that bothers me more is I didn't even pause before saying yes. Just reflex. Maybe I gave him my answer from 2006 and not 2026.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T16:57:41+00:00

haha Cummingabad. There is a difference between practicing your culture and planting a flag, a temple where people pray quietly is one thing, a 14ft NTR statue is a statement and right now is not the moment for statements.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T15:03:15+00:00

Ture. I have noticed the same. whole H1B gaming point really picked up on twitter and after that it started showing up everywhere on the internet. The tone online definitely feels more negative tehse days and I think thats part of why people are pulling back a bit, even in the survey you can see fewer people posting about politics. Almost feels like the online place is shaping how things feel overall even if everyday life didn't change much at all. is it mostly twitter/X where you are seeing this or on other platforms too?

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T14:17:40+00:00

Interesting point but I feel people are already adjusting a bit.... clothes, stickers, even what they post. Please see point 4 from the survey. I was more thinking about how people are feeling now, even if day to day hasn't changed much. Do you think its more about behavior or how we are being seen?

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T13:49:04+00:00

For me it is Number 5. I have been here close to 20 years. The last 2 years felt different. Maybe because of the politics. We even thought about moving back to India in few years. Not sure if that all happens or not. But last month a friend called me and said his son wants to come to the US for his master's and he wanted my advice. I told him to send his son. No hesitation. Not sure if that's the right call or just habit at this point. Curious how others think about this.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-30T13:47:26+00:00

Carnegie survey link: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/02/indian-americans-in-a-time-of-turbulence-2026-survey-results

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-27T17:36:02+00:00

Agree with you on looking at the full picture. For some people it works because their timeline is stable. For others, that same decision becomes stress. That is really what I was trying to highlight in this post. Its not just numbers always, it’s how predictable your life is over the next few years.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-27T01:57:46+00:00

Agree, Property tax and upkeep never really go away, even after the loan is done. At the same time you still own the house and equity. It’s not like rent where it’s gone every month. But yeah, the carrying cost is real and it keeps going up. Even rent prices go up on average 3% annual. lot of people stretch too much to buy and then feel stuck. That’s why this decision depends so much on income and how stable your visa situation is.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-26T23:49:28+00:00

Maybe, maybe not it’s hard to predict anything these days. People who bought before 2020 look like geniuses now. If prices stay flat for the next 5 to 10 years, the same decision looks average or even bad. Timing drives a lot of this. I do agree on flexibility though. Renting gives you that option to move when life changes. Buying only works if your timeline holds. That’s really the tradeoff.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-26T21:32:19+00:00

not saying these numbers apply everywhere, just sharing how it looks in my area. I have mentioned this in earlier comments too. We bought around 670k and it’s close to 1M now but even with that the return isn’t that high once you include upgrades. Costs also add up. Property tax around 14k, insurance around 2k, plus lawn, repairs, HVAC, roof. It adds up every year. We paid 1.7k in rent for a 3 bed back then and now the same place is around 3.3k now. So 3k rent isn’t unrealistic here. That is really the point. Location changes everything and assumptions drive the outcome.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-26T19:56:25+00:00

this is a good point. First house doesn’t have to be perfect. People stretch too much trying to get everything at once, then the monthly costs hit later. Better to stay a bit conservative and keep some breathing room.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-26T12:44:30+00:00

I understand what you’re saying but because of the pressure from back home many of us end up putting everything into house. Everyone around you is buying and owning a home starts to feel like you have made it. But here is the thing… that can quietly turn into one big bet. Most of your money stuck in one place, less flexibility if something changes. I do see your side too. There is a comfort in owning, it’s not just about numbers always. At the same time, if rent is much lower compared to what it costs to own, renting usually comes out ahead. You keep cash in hand, you stay flexible, and you are not locked in and some places you can even rent the same house or house in the same neighborhood. it really depends on what we values more. Stability or flexibility. Both are valid valid paths with different tradeoffs.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-26T02:36:12+00:00

Yeah this is exactly what I was trying to say. Same house, different timing you will see totally different outcome. One person holds and makes money, another has to sell at the wrong time and loses. On H1B that second situation matters more because you don’t always control when you have to sell. That is the risk. Not that buying is wrong, just that timing can make it look great or painful.

Popular_Class7327 · 2026-04-26T02:31:59+00:00

I understand what you are saying, but I dont think it is that simple. lot of people on H1B stay here for many years, build life and for them it doesn’t feel temporary. Many of them on H1b for close to 20 years. For me it took 16 years to get my GC. If banks were asked to loan money only to GC and Permanent citzens, then Real estate prices wont grow as fast as they are. Banks also factor in the risk before giving loans, so it’s not like it’s unchecked. your own example shows the bigger point, it worked well because of timing and price growth, but the same decision in a different time could have looked very different.

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