The Biden administration went all in embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, but public support for these controversial and racist policies has tanked. A recent poll from The New York Times and Ipsos reveals just how stark the divide has become.
According to the poll, 47% of Americans support keeping DEI policies in place, while a slightly higher 48% believe it’s time to abandon them. “The slight plurality though, [is] well within the margin of error,” CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten noted, adding, “This looks a heck of a lot like the election results, right where you have slightly more saying they want to end DEI than people who want to keep it. But really, what we're dealing with here is a split country.”
The debate over DEI policies extends beyond public institutions. Private businesses, once major champions of these initiatives, are now experiencing a noticeable decline in public approval for taking a stance on DEI. Enten highlighted the shift with striking data: “Back in 2021… 68% — more than two-thirds of the country — supported businesses taking a public DEI stance. Where were we by 2024? Look at how much lower it is. It’s just 53%.”
Recommended: Snopes Knows Elon Musk Didn’t Give Nazi Salute, Won’t Debunk Hoax
This sharp drop — 15 points over three years — indicates a significant shift in public sentiment as the public has grown wise to what these policies really are. Enten explained, “Folks in the public at large… are actually becoming a little sick of these businesses actually taking a public DEI stance, which I think sort of matches with the general perception that DEI is kind of fallen back from the sort of public perception.”
Interestingly, the decline isn’t uniform across political lines. Republicans have seen the most dramatic shift. “In 2021, Republicans were at 50%,” Enten said. “Look at where it fell to in 2024. Right. It’s all the way down to 22%.”
“It’s really Republicans who have become sick of DEI,” Enten emphasized. This growing disapproval among conservatives likely explains why figures like Donald Trump are doubling down on moves to curb DEI-related policies at the federal level.
Republicans were willing to give DEI a chance, but not anymore. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a sizable shift among Democrats either. Their support for DEI went from 86% support in 2021 to 79% in 2024 — which is a smaller but still significant shift.
This isn't 2021 anymore when it comes to DEI. There's been a big decline in the % of Americans who are interested in DEI... GOP interest in has dropped by more than half.
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) January 23, 2025
The slight plurality (though within the margin of error) agree with Trump & want DEI out of government. pic.twitter.com/JSgAetSb1z
These numbers paint a vivid picture of a nation deeply divided on the role of DEI in both the public and private sectors. The question moving forward is whether this trend will continue — and what that means for businesses, institutions, and the broader cultural landscape. I suspect that even more people will quickly realize the problems caused by racist DEI policies over the next four years, and not want to ever go back.
