A majority of Americans across nearly all demographic groups said DEI initiatives have made no impact on their personal careers, according to a newly released Harris Poll/Axios Vibes survey.
Why it matters: Republican lawmakers and activists have vilified DEI, a term for diversity, equity and inclusion policies used by employers. Companies have responded by rolling back programs.
- Yet Americans — and businesses — have a generally positive to at least indifferent view on the subject.
- On balance, most demographic groups were more likely to say DEI benefited their career than hindered it.
This may seem uninvuitive to some people, but it makes sense when you consider that two candidates might be not directly comparable. Eg. one is better at task X and worse at task Y, and the other is the opposite. DEI encourages weighting different strengths in a particular way, so accounting for it may cause you to choose a different “best” candidate than if you had weighted their strengths differently.