DEI Efforts Face Headwinds Among U.S. Employees
WASHINGTON, D.C. — American workers' opinions on the role of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the workplace have become more negative since 2023, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Compared with February 2023, workers are now somewhat more likely to say that focusing on increasing DEI at work is mainly a bad thing, and their company or organization pays too much attention to increasing DEI.
In a separate survey, Pew Research Center asked Americans overall — regardless of their employment status — about their views on the impact of DEI practices in the workplace. In their responses, more Americans say DEI practices help rather than hurt Black, Hispanic and Asian men and women, as well as White women. In turn, far more Americans said DEI hurts White men than say it helps them (36% vs. 14%, respectively).
These findings come from two recent surveys: one conducted among U.S. workers in October 2024 and another among U.S. adults in September 2024. Additional findings come from a previous Pew Research Center survey of U.S. workers conducted in February 2023.
Workers' Views on DEI in the Workplace
About half of workers (52%) now say focusing on increasing DEI at work is mainly a good thing, down from 56% in February 2023. The share of workers who say this is a bad thing (21%) is up 5 points since last year. About a quarter (26%) say focusing on DEI is neither good nor bad.
Women, Democrats and Black, Hispanic and Asian workers are among the groups most likely to say focusing on increasing DEI in the workplace is a good thing, as was the case in 2023.
Republicans and men continue to be among the groups of workers most likely to see DEI efforts as a bad thing, and their views have become more negative since last year:
- About four in 10 Republican and Republican-leaning workers (42%) now say focusing on DEI is a bad thing, up from 30% last year.
- The share of Republicans who offer a neutral view has dropped 8 points, while the share who see it as a good thing is virtually unchanged.
- Among employed men, 29% say focusing on DEI is a bad thing, up from 23% who said the same in February 2023.
- The share of male workers who see DEI as a good thing has dropped 6 points to 44% today compared to 50% in 2023.
Asian workers have also become less likely since 2023 to see DEI efforts as a good thing: 57% of Asian workers say this, down from 72%. More Asian workers now offer a neutral view of DEI than did so last year. About three in 10 (28%) now say focusing on DEI is neither good nor bad when compared with 18% in 2023.
The researcher found there has been little change in views of DEI as a good thing among White and Black workers. However, among White workers, a growing share say DEI is a bad thing: 27% say this today, up from 21% in 2023.
Workers' Views on the Attention Paid to DEI in the Workplace
About half of workers overall (52%) say their company or organization pays about the right amount of attention to increasing DEI. That share has remained fairly stable since last year.
But a growing share of workers say their company pays too much attention to increasing DEI. In February 2023, workers were about as likely to say their company or organization pays too much attention to DEI as they were to say it paid too little attention (14% vs. 15%, respectively). Today, more say their workplace pays too much attention than too little attention (19% vs. 12%, respectively).
DEI Fiction vs. Fact
Supporters of DEI programs in the convenience store industry say misconceptions are rampant and standing in the way of companies and individuals reaping the benefits of more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces.
In this video, Convenience Store News tackles the biggest fallacies and misunderstandings around DEI.
Views by Race & Ethnicity
White, Black and Hispanic workers are now slightly more likely to say their company or organization pays too much attention to increasing DEI than they were in 2023:
- Today, 8% of Black workers say their company or organization pays too much attention to DEI, up from 3% in February 2023. In turn, 18% now say their company or organization pays too little attention to DEI, down from 28% in 2023.
- The views of Asian workers on whether their company or organization pays too much or too little attention to DEI have not changed significantly since 2023.
Views by Party
Republicans and Democrats are both more likely than in 2023 to say their company pays too much attention to increasing DEI:
- 29% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say this today, up from 24% in 2023.
- 10% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say this, up from 6%.
- At the same time, the share of Democratic workers who say their company pays too little attention to DEI has dropped 5 points, from 21% to 16%. There has been no change in this view among Republican workers.
Americans' Views of the Impact of DEI Practices in the Workplace
Pew Research Center separately asked Americans, regardless of their employment status, to weigh in on DEI practices in the workplace and whether these efforts help or hurt certain groups:
- More Americans say DEI practices help Black, Hispanic and Asian men and women than say DEI hurts them.
- Opinions are more mixed about the impact on White women in the workplace. Three in 10 Americans say DEI practices help White women vs. 23% who say they hurt them.
- In contrast, far more say DEI practices hurt White men than help them (36% vs. 14%, respectively).
For the most part, similar shares of men and women say DEI practices help each group. But by margins of 4 to 16 points, men are more likely than women to say these practices hurt each group. For example, 45% of men say DEI practices hurt White men in the workplace, compared with 29% of women who say the same.
Views by Race & Ethnicity
White and Asian adults are especially likely to say DEI practices help various groups, including Black women and men, Hispanic women and men, and Asian women. In turn, Black and Hispanic adults (29% and 23%, respectively) are more likely than other groups to say DEI practices help White men in the workplace.
White adults are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to say DEI practices hurt White men and women in the workplace:
- 47% of White adults say DEI practices in the workplace hurt White men.
- 29% of White adults say DEI practices hurt White women.
This is much higher than the shares of Black, Hispanic and Asian adults who say the same about the impact of DEI on White men and women.
Views by Party
Republicans and Democrats are both more likely to say DEI practices help than hurt Black, Hispanic and Asian men and women. But Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say these practices hurt all of the groups asked about in the survey. In turn, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they help each group.
These differences are especially evident in views of the impact of DEI on White men. A 56% majority of Republicans say DEI practices hurt White men vs. 19% of Democrats — a difference of 37 points.
The methodology for the Sept. 3-15 survey and the methodology for the Oct. 7-13 survey are available online.
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research.
Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.