Right-wing activists, who have been vocal critics of liberalism and “wokeness” in higher education, recently played a role in the resignation of Claudine Gay, Harvard University’s first African American president. Now, their attention has shifted towards dismantling the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that they argue contributed to the appointment of individuals like Gay in the first place.
Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who played a significant role in the resignation of Gay, expressed his opinion on X (formerly known as Twitter) following Gay’s removal. He bluntly stated, “Today, we celebrate victory. Tomorrow, we get back to the fight. We must continue until we have eliminated DEI ideology from every institution in America.”
DEI initiatives and programs have been at the center of these controversies, as their primary objective is to assist organizations in identifying and addressing disparities or inequities within their respective contexts.
In the last year, several states have taken steps to dismantle their DEI programs. Anti-DEI legislation has been passed and enacted in Alabama, Utah, Texas, and Florida. These laws range from prohibiting diversity training to terminating positions related to DEI efforts. In Florida, lawmakers have imposed restrictions on the teaching of racially “divisive” topics in public schools, colleges, and universities. Furthermore, legislatures in over two dozen other states are currently contemplating similar measures.
Critics argue that these measures exhibit racism, while opponents of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are swift to refute these claims.
Is opposition to DEI programs unrelated to racism? Or does racism play a significant role in opposition to DEI programs?
We, as survey researchers, examine the impact of racial attitudes on Americans’ views on public policies. In a recent survey, we explored whether racism plays a role in shaping public opinion about DEI programs.
Implausible claims about DEI
This Article Includes
Governor Spencer Cox of Utah has expressed his support for anti-DEI measures in the state, stating that they serve to uphold the principle of colorblindness in American society.
“We once held onto the vision of Martin Luther King Jr., where our children would be evaluated based on their character rather than the color of their skin,” he remarked. “But now, quoting these timeless words of Dr. King can lead to accusations of systemic racism. It seems that everything has been turned upside down.”
However, it is clear that other conservative politicians and commentators have made statements that are overtly racist.
After the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore suffered a catastrophic accident, numerous Republican elected officials and candidates made an implausible assertion, blaming DEI policies for the incident. A conservative commentator took it a step further by reposting a video of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who is Black, addressing the tragedy at a news conference. The commentator added a comment insinuating that the city’s DEI mayor was responsible for the bridge collapse and ominously warned that things would only worsen.
In January 2024, we conducted a survey of 1,064 U.S. adults to explore the impact of racism on public opinion regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Our aim was to identify whether individuals believe that professionals and members of institutions should receive DEI training. We asked respondents to indicate their stance on the matter from a provided list.
The list comprised a diverse range of individuals, including medical professionals, teachers, police officers, members of the U.S. armed forces, public sector employees, and private sector employees.
In our study, we evaluated the respondents’ racial attitudes by posing questions that gauged their recognition of racism in the United States and their emotional response to this issue. Additionally, we inquired about their political party affiliation, ideological leanings, and demographic characteristics.
‘Huge’ impact on support for DEI
A significant majority of Americans believe in the importance of DEI training for various professions, as revealed by our survey. On average, 70% of Americans support DEI training for medical professionals, teachers, police officers, members of the U.S. armed forces, and public employees. Additionally, 65% of Americans believe that private sector employees should also undergo DEI training.
Support for DEI training was significantly lower among Americans who hold negative racial attitudes. This term, used by scholars of public opinion, refers to individuals who possess prejudicial, stereotypical, or racist views towards people of color.
Support for DEI training varies among different groups of Americans. Only 46% of those who believe that racial problems are rare actually support DEI training. Similarly, 45% of individuals who are not angry about the existence of racism also support DEI training. Additionally, 38% of those who do not believe that white people have advantages due to their skin color support DEI training programs.
We combined the interviewees’ responses from various questions to generate a comprehensive measure of support for DEI training. Additionally, we analyzed the impact of negative racial attitudes on support for DEI, considering factors like gender identity, age, education, income, race, political party affiliation, and ideology.
The impact of negative racial attitudes on support for DEI programs was significant, according to our analysis of these characteristics. Individuals with the most negative racial attitudes showed a staggering 73 percentage point decrease in support for DEI programs compared to those with the most positive attitudes.
Not all individuals who are against DEI training can be labeled as racists. However, research shows that those who hold the most negative racial attitudes tend to be the most resistant to DEI training.
It is understandable that many Americans desire to see Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a “colorblind” society become a reality. However, the troubling association between racism and the opposition to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs highlights that there is still work to be done in order for individuals to be truly judged based on their character rather than the color of their skin.
This article was originally published by The Conversation, a nonprofit and independent news organization that aims to provide accurate information and reliable analysis to help individuals navigate our complex world. The authors of this article are Tatishe Nteta from UMass Amherst, Adam Eichen from UMass Amherst, Douglas Rice from UMass Amherst, Jesse Rhodes from UMass Amherst. The title of the article is “Yes, sexism among Republican voters played a role in the decline of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign.”
The authors of this article have no affiliations with any company or organization that would benefit from it. They do not work for, consult, own shares in, or receive funding from such entities. Their insights and perspectives are solely based on their academic appointment.
