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As the debate rages over whether US universities should strengthen or cut their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, a new study finds that a large percentage of American college students opt out of force-feeding these initiatives.
College Research and Data Site Interviewed by College Rover of more than 1,000 American college students and found that 45 percent of them opposed DEI courses being required on college campuses.
College Rover founder Bill Townsend, who released the study in November, told Fox News Digital that these students oppose mandatory DEI programs because they “may feel apprehensive about forced participation, seeing it as limiting personal choice or ideological freedom.”
On the other hand, 54 percent of college students believe that “these classes should be required for all students,” his report noted.
A new study found that nearly half of American college students do not want required DEI courses at their schools.
The author noted a nearly 50-50 split among students on the topic, telling Fox, “Our survey results underscored a nuanced and polarized position on DEI initiatives… The consistency suggests entrenched viewpoints influenced by both growing awareness of the benefits of DEI and continued skepticism about them execution”.
Although college students are torn on DEI courses compulsory in universitiesmost view DEI programs in a favorable light. “Seventy percent of students describe the overall impact of DEI programs as positive, saying that these initiatives have improved their understanding of diversity and inclusion,” the report said.
He added that 79 percent of Democratic students agree that DEI programs are “positive,” while 64 percent of Republican students share the same opinion.
However, the study also found that only 47 percent of college students would want to take a class that “focuses on race, gender, or identity.” Only 30 percent of Republican students said they would like to take such classes, while 60 percent of Democratic students said they would take them.
Only 10 percent of students told College Rover that they “feel uncomfortable discussing race, gender, or sexual identity in class,” “mostly due to fear of being judged or misunderstood,” the report added.
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The University of Michigan was one of many American colleges to cancel part of their DEI programs this year. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Townsend noted that student opinion is influenced by public distaste for DEI initiatives, but that they seem more open to them than to the public.
“Student views certainly echo the passion seen in public discourse, but they seem a little more open to interaction and discussion,” he said, adding, “nearly half of students said DEI programs made them more open to different points of view”.
“This openness can come from being in an academic environment that encourages dialogue, although some still hesitate for fear of judgment.”
When asked what prompted his research, Townsend mentioned the “increasing public debate around diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in education and their tangible impact on students.”
“With so much polarization, we wanted to inform the conversation with data, asking: Are these programs inclusive or divisive?” – he said.
Many major American universities have rolled back their DEI program in 2024 in response to negative public reaction. Texas public universities have eliminated DEI offices, DEI-related positions, and mandatory DEI training. That included layoffs and restructuring at institutions like the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M.
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University of Michigan dismantled the DEI set of requirements in 2024, and the school said in a recent news release that it “will no longer require a diversity statement as part of faculty hiring, promotion and tenure.”
One of the school’s faculty task forces recommended that the university abandon the search for the applications because of “their potential to limit freedom of expression and diversity of thought on campus.”
The University of North Carolina system redirected millions from DEI initiatives to public safety and ended DEI programs on campuses in May. In addition, three of Iowa’s public universities — the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa — began eliminating DEI offices and reallocating funds after the state law passed earlier this year.
Under Florida Governor Ron DeSantis The Florida administration has limited DEI at public universities in 2023.
Outside the university realm, President-elect Donald Trump pledged during the 2024 campaign to eliminate DEI programs in the federal government after the US Department of Education under the Biden administration spent more than $1 billion on DEI.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (Octavia Jones/Getty Images)
Townsend noted this nationwide pushback, telling Fox: “While 70% view these initiatives positively, concerns about whether DEI promotes diversity of thought are valid. For DEI programs to be successful, they must balance the development of inclusiveness with the absence of ideological conformity.’
The researcher cautioned that completely abandoning DEI programs may be a rash move.
“As noted above, poorly prepared but poorly equipped DEI teaching has undermined many positive aspects of DEI,” he said. “This could be a case of throwing the baby out with the water.”
“Pendulums in society and public moods always happen – with the Internet and social networks (especially when the latter are manipulated) it happens faster and more sharply,” he added.
Jamie Joseph of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
