41% of voters say it’s fair to call Kamala Harris a DEI hire: Rasmussen poll

The survey also explored public opinions on DEI policies more broadly. It found that 27 percent of voters believe that it is racist to criticize DEI policies, whereas almost half (49 percent) disagree, saying that criticism of these policies is not racist. An additional 24 percent of respondents were uncertain.

When asked about how educated they were on DEI policies, 49 percent of those surveyed said they were "very familiar," while 14 percent admitted they were not familiar with them. Among those who claimed to be very familiar with DEI policies, 59 percent believe that criticism should not be considered racist.

The poll highlighted partisan differences on the issue. Among Democrats, 44 percent believe it is racist to criticize DEI policies, compared to just 17 percent of Republicans and 18 percent of unaffiliated voters. Conversely, 63 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of Democrats, and 53 percent of unaffiliated voters do not consider criticism of DEI policies to be racist.

Gender differences were also noted, with 52 percent of men and 46 percent of women saying that criticism of DEI policies is not racist. Women were more likely than men to believe it was unfair to label Harris as a DEI hire.

The poll, conducted between August 4 and 6, surveyed 1,069 likely voters and has a margin of error of 3 percent.

The poll comes amid ongoing media debate and pushback against Republicans labeling Harris as a “DEI hire,” citing President Joe Biden’s decision to select her as a running mate specifically because she was a black woman. While this characterization has been described as offensive by numerous commentators, the survey suggests that a significant portion of the electorate sees such a label as justified.