American voters are deeply divided on DEI programs and political correctness

And while younger people were more likely to support DEI programs than older respondents, the issue highlights another example of a wide gender gap among younger voters on politics in the Trump era.

Among women ages 18 to 49, 67% say DEI programs should continue, while 31% want to eliminate them. But among men ages 18 to 49, 40% want to continue DEI programs, while 57% say they should be eliminated. More older women support DEI programs than older men, but the gap between them is not as large.

“The survey also points to there being more political intensity and salience for Republicans around these issues than there is for Democrats,” Cardona-Arroyo said, noting the overwhelmingly negative views of DEI programs from voters who make up Trump’s base, including white men without a college education, self-described MAGA Republicans and self-described conservatives.

Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies said that Trump’s actions on DEI and other issues such as immigration underscore the president’s near-unified support from Republicans, which has bolstered Trump’s early approval numbers.

“You can see how his efforts, including on DEI, are just really echoing with his core political base,” McInturff said. 

The survey also finds divisions along racial lines, with a majority of white voters saying DEI programs should end and that there is too much political correctness in society. White women with college degrees were the exception among white voters, with 59% saying there is too much prejudice and two-thirds saying DEI programs should continue. 

An overwhelming share of Black voters (80%) say DEI programs should persist, and 71% say there is too much prejudice in society today. The share of Latino voters in the survey was too small to analyze the group’s overall views on the issue. 

The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from March 7-11 via a mix of telephone interviews and an online survey sent via text message. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.