Efforts to Eliminate DEI Programs Rooted in Racism, Says Political Science Team

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In a recent article for The Conversation, a team of UMass political science faculty released results of a poll indicating that efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout the country are based in racism. In the poll, Tatishe Nteta, Adam Eichen, Douglas Rice, Jesse Rhodes, and Justin H. Gross sought to explore how the racial attitudes of Americans affect their attitudes towards public policies, including opinions on DEI programs. The poll comes on the heels of multiple states either ending or taking steps to end DEI programs, especially those in higher education institutions. 

The January 2024 survey asked participants about their opinions on DEI training, whether or not they believed racism exists in the U.S., and their emotional reactions to the problem of racism in the nation. While the survey found that a strong majority of those surveyed support DEI training in a number of fields, those with negative racial attitudes showed much lower support for this type of training. After accounting for characteristics such as gender identity, age, education, income, race, political party identification, and ideology, the researchers found that support for DEI programs was 73 percentage points lower among those with the most negative racial attitudes. 

"Many Americans understandably wish that the nation has achieved Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of a 'colorblind' society," say the authors. "But the troubling connection between racism and opposition to DEI programs highlights that there is still work to be done until the nation's citizens are truly judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin."