Just over a third of Britons think that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the workplace have gone too far, new polling suggests.
An Ipsos poll for PA Mediapoint surveyed 1,200 British adults aged 15 to 75 about DEI in the workplace between March 28 and April 2.
It comes as businesses on both sides of the Atlantic continue to respond to the major pushback against DEI policies since US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
The PA poll found that 36% of respondents believe current policies in UK workplaces have gone too far.
While 31% of respondents said DEI policies are currently “about right” and 19% say they have not gone far enough.
Respondents over the age of 55 were much more likely to say these policies had gone too far – at 47%, it found.
Reacting to the US administration’s actions to restrict DEI, just over a quarter of respondents said they approve of the move at 27%.
This compared to 22% who said they had no views either way and 38% who said they disapproved.
Broken down into gender, men were almost twice as likely to approve of Mr Trump’s stance than woman, with 37% of men approving compared to 17% of women surveyed.
Of the different DEI policies, the poll suggests Britons are most supportive of workplaces offering flexible working arrangements, public reporting of the gender pay gap and training employees on how to be more inclusive.
While there was less support for policies involving targets and hiring practices, these policies also saw more support than opposition.
Setting targets to recruit more people with particular characteristics or backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, or promoting them in senior roles were both supported by 43% and opposed by 22% while 30% had views neither way.
Rachel Ormston, research director at Ipsos said the research highlights that broad public support exists for many individual DEI workplace initiatives but when people are asked about it in more general terms opinion is more divided.
“Men, those over 55, and those from white ethnic backgrounds are notably more likely to believe efforts to promote DEI in the workplace have gone too far, while women, younger people and those from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to say they have not gone far enough,” he said.
“These findings underscore the need for employers both to be aware of varied perspectives on DEI and to communicate clearly the aims and impacts of specific DEI actions to foster greater buy-in.”
Mr Trump’s election victory accelerated corporate America’s return to more conservative stances, with executives axing DEI departments, watering down language that could be seen as “woke” and pulling out of climate groups.
While firms in the UK must comply with the country’s equality laws, the shift in the US stoked concerns and debates in British offices over the role of voluntary DEI actions in the workplace.
The PA survey was carried out as a standalone survey so it is not clear whether figures are rising or falling.
