As President Donald Trump seeks to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices on college campuses, a new poll suggests that while the concept of DEI is divisive, some of the initiatives being affected by his administration's guidance are less controversial.
The poll, conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research , found about 4 in 10 Americans 'strongly" or 'somewhat" favor DEI programs in colleges and universities, while about 3 in 10 oppose those initiatives and about 3 in 10 are neutral.
Support is higher for courses on racism and scholarships for students of color, among other services designed to help students from underrepresented groups .
The findings underscore that while "DEI" has become a politically toxic and unpopular term for many Americans, some components of DEI programs have much less opposition.
This is especially true among Republicans. While about 6 in 10 Republicans oppose DEI programs broadly, their opposition softens for many of their most common elements. Just under half of Republicans oppose courses that teach about racism. About one-third oppose scholarships for students from underrepresented groups. And roughly 3 in 10 oppose clubs and mentorship services for those students.