Diversity, equity and inclusion programs continue to garner strong employee support despite recent backlash, according to a survey released Oct. 31 by The Conference Board.

The survey found that 58% of US workers believe their organization devotes the appropriate level of effort and resources to DE&I initiatives, while 21% feel efforts do not go far enough. 

It also found that 49% of women and 56% of Black respondents said they wouldn’t work for a company that does not take DE&I seriously.

“DEI values and initiatives are essential for many US employees and continue to receive strong positive feedback,” Allan Schweyer, principal researcher of human capital at The Conference Board, said in a press release.

The survey included 1,345 US workers and took place in August.

Among age groups, the survey found:

• More than half of millennials say their organization dedicates the right amount of effort to DE&I, while 32% say it is not enough.
• For members of Gen X, 57% say the amount of effort is right, and 22% say it is not enough.
• Among baby boomers, the percents were 63% and 12%, respectively.

Employees also believe DE&I is vital for workplace culture, but they are unsure about its impact on productivity:

• 71% of respondents say that DE&I initiatives improve their sense of belonging.
• 62% say they enhance engagement.
• 59% say they help collaboration and retention.
• Only 43% believe DE&I positively impacts productivity, with 17% seeing it as detrimental.

The survey also found that 56% of Black respondents say their company’s current DE&I efforts are not enough compared to 19% of white (non-Hispanic), 25% of Hispanic and 23% of Asian respondents.

In a separate survey, The Conference Board also asked 73 senior executives at US companies about their view of the DE&I backlash. The executives were in DE&I, HR, ESG and corporate citizenship.

It found that 63% of the executives view the political climate for DE&I as very or extremely challenging. In addition, 63% say the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action negatively affected their DE&I efforts. And 69% expect scrutiny of DE&I efforts to persist or increase in the next three years.

More than half of executives, 53% have adjusted their DE&I terminology both internally and externally over the past year, with another 20% considering similar changes. They are adjusting language to broader concepts such as “inclusion,” “belonging” and “engagement” which are less prone to legal challenges.

Only 9% of surveyed executives plan to scale back external DE&I communications over the next year.