Fewer U.S. adults believe that Black Americans face discrimination on a daily basis, according to a new study.
Conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the study found that overall, only four in 10 people believe that Black people and Hispanic people face “quite a bit” or a “great deal” of discrimination.
The latest results mark a significant drop since the study was last conducted in 2021.
Whereas only 45% of participants said that they agreed there is racial discrimination against Black Americans this year, in 2021, 61% agreed that it was a serious issue in the U.S.
The shift in perception was not as large when it came to Hispanic Americans. While the 2021 study results found that 48% of participants agreed there was racial discrimination against Hispanic Americans, approximately 44% of the participants this year agreed.
The poll also analyzed the perception of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Per the study, only 4 in 10 U.S. adults believe that DEI programs successfully reduce the discrimination Black Americans face.
Between 33% and 41% reported that they believed they made no difference, while a quarter believed that it does the reverse and actually increases discrimination.
“While most agree that many groups are unfairly treated at least sometimes, there is some skepticism that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are effective at mitigating discrimination,” said the researchers in their report.
The latest study represents a growing anti-DEI trend. As government efforts to permanently remove DEI initiatives continue to increase, companies have been announcing the removal of their DEI programs in compliance with their demands.
This year alone, major companies such as UnitedHealth Group, the MLB, IBM, Victoria’s Secret and Warner Bros. Discovery have all scaled back DEI initiatives.
In a memo issued yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department expanded its campaign against DEI by recommending that recipients of federal funds remove their DEI programs.
The recipients include colleges, schools, universities, nonprofit organizations and private firms working as government contractors.
The administration has faced some pushback in its mission to remove DEI.
Most recently, Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison announced a new lawsuit against the president’s Executive Orders on DEI as well as gender.
“In today’s lawsuit, we are seeking to bank declaratory injunctive relief claiming that the executive orders focusing on diversity and gender ideology are unconstitutional and unlawful,” Davison said in the press conference. “They’re based on separation of powers, the Spending Clause, the Fifth Amendment, the 10th Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.”
