Trump Slashed DEI. Now It’s Making a Surprising Bipartisan Comeback

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This unexpected bipartisan support for DEI emerged in the latest Bentley University-Gallup Business in Society survey provided exclusively to USA TODAY. Though views remain deeply polarized, workers across the ideological spectrum are growing more positive about the workplace benefits of diversity programs.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans believe promoting DEI should be a priority for businesses. What’s more, public faith in the bottom-line benefits of diversity is climbing as more Americans link diverse workforces to increased profitability and innovation than at any point in the past two years.

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Yet three-quarters of the Bentley University-Gallup survey respondents said businesses with diverse workforces make more innovative products, up from 64% in 2025. Seventy-one percent of Americans say it is somewhat or completely true that businesses with diverse workforces are more profitable, up from 61% in 2025.

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Nearly all Democrats (95%) consider promoting DEI a key business priority with 71% of independents in agreement, though far fewer Republicans held the same view (37%).

Among Democrats, 92% say businesses with diverse workforces are more profitable, up from 85% in 2025. The percentage also rose 11 points among independents (70%) and Republicans (41%).

The survey found widespread agreement that workforce diversity fuels product innovation, supported by 94% of Democrats, 75% of Independents and nearly half of Republicans. Those figures are up six, 12 and 11 points, respectively, from 2025.

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