Politics
NEW: Majority of Americans Support Trump’s Anti-DEI Moves, Poll Finds
A majority of Americans believe government workers should be hired based on merit rather than immutable characteristics such as race or gender, an indication of support for President Trump’s decision to axe diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and overall anti-DEI stance.
The poll, which was conducted by Cygnal, surveyed 1,500 likely voters in the 2026 midterm elections. “Trump’s efforts to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in government hiring is a clear winner with the public,” the survey found, as 64 percent of respondents believe that government agencies should hire workers based on merit above all else. An additional 28 percent believe hiring practices should employ a “mix” of both strategies, while five percent remain unsure.
Responses largely broke down along party lines, with 85 percent of Republican respondents expressing support for merit-based hiring. As for Democrats, 51 percent of respondents believe candidates should be hired based on a mixture of merit, experience and immutable characteristics.
Breaking down the results further, 62 percent of independent voters expressed a preference for merit-based hiring, while 41 percent of Democrats also felt the same. Along racial lines, 55 percent of hispanic respondents voiced an anti-DEI opinion, as did 38 percent of black voters.
The survey was taken February 4-5, 2025, among 1,500 likely 2026 general election voters. It has a +/- 2.51 percent margin of error.
Trump signs a number of executive orders just hours after being sworn in on January 2
After being sworn in on January 20, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze on federal workers and issued new guidelines for hiring when the freeze is lifted. The president also signed an executive order that will end remote work across vast swaths of the federal government.
Late last month, the administration provided additional details on its plan to reclassify thousands of federal workers and remove protections that prevent them from being fired, according to a memo sent to agency heads. Trump also effectively banned “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) policies, which have long been associated with race-based hiring practices and promotion of left-wing ideology in the workplace, at the federal level.
All government DEI officers were ordered to close by the end of January, while employees working within those offices were placed on administrative leave. In total, more than 400 federal DEI employees have already been placed on leave.
