The poll also found that most Americans believe DEI efforts make little difference in reducing discrimination.
A poll has found that Americans perceive there to be less discrimination against racial groups than four years ago, and that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts make little of a difference in reducing discrimination.
The AP-NORC poll, released on Thursday, found a significant drop in US adults who perceive there to be racial discrimination against black Americans, with 45 percent saying there is a great deal of discrimination or "quite a bit" against this group. This is down from 61 percent when the poll was conducted in April 2021, less than a year after the death of George Floyd, which sparked riots across the country.
Among black Americans, 74 percent said their community experiences a great deal of discrimination or quite a bit, while 45 percent of Hispanic people and 39 percent of white people agreed. Among Hispanic Americans, 61 percent of both black people and Hispanic people said there is quite a bit or a great deal of discrimination against Hispanic people, while 36 percent of white people said the same.
Other racial groups saw decreases between April 2021 and July 2025, with 44 percent responding that there is a great deal of discrimination or quite a bit against Hispanic people in 2025, down from 48 percent in 2021; 32 percent said there was a great deal or quite a bit of discrimination against Asian people, down from 46 percent in 2021; and 15 percent said there was a great deal or quite a bit of discrimination against white people, down from 18 percent in 2021.
The poll also found that most Americans believe illegal immigrants receive a great deal or quite a bit of discrimination, at 58 percent, while 42 percent said the same for legal immigrants.
When asked about whether DEI increases or reduces discrimination against certain demographic groups, 31 percent of Americans said that DEI increases discrimination against white people, while 53 percent said it made no difference.
A total of 61 percent said DEI either increases discrimination or makes no difference for black people, while 63 percent said the same for Hispanic people, and 67 percent said the same for Asian people. A total of 83 percent said DEI makes no difference or increases discrimination against men, and 66 percent said the same for women.
The poll was conducted between July 10 and 14 of 1,437 US adults and has a margin of error of 3.6 percent.
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