Report: Support for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Remains High--but Only 50% of US Employees See Real Impact

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives face heightened scrutiny, new research from The Conference Board delivers a clear message: Despite broad support, 50% of US workers are unconvinced that current diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts improve their experience at work.

Findings from two reports—one that is US-centric and the other with a global focus—show that an organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion credibility is no longer built by the visibility of programs, but through evidence that employees can feel in their daily work. And as the report reveals, there is a big opportunity to improve the tangible impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

"The research suggests that organizations may be doing more diversity, equity, and inclusion work while employees feel less benefit. This is not a communication problem that can be solved by explaining it louder. Employees want to see fairness in how pay is set, how opportunities are assigned, and how leaders behave when it matters," said Matthew Maloof, Researcher, Human Capital, The Conference Board.

Fewer employees report that diversity, equity & inclusion efforts meaningfully improve their work experience.

• In the US, the share of workers and leaders reporting a positive personal impact from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives fell from 57% in 2024 to 50% in 2025.
• Fewer than half of respondents say common diversity, equity, and inclusion activities—such as training, formal discussions, or tracking metrics—positively affect their daily work.

Across all regions surveyed, employees continue to value diversity in the workplace.

• On average, 77% of US respondents, 70% of Asia-based respondents, and 67% of Europe-based respondents say it is important to work in organizations with a broad mix of people across dimensions such as race, gender, age, and thinking styles.
• Nearly two-thirds (63%) of US respondents say they would not, or would only reluctantly, work for an organization that does not take diversity, equity, and inclusion seriously, down slightly from 68% in 2024.

Executives are consistently more optimistic about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives than employees.

• 71% of US executives say their organization is dedicating more diversity, equity, and inclusion resources than last year, compared with 57% of managers and just 41% of employees.
• 62% of executives say it positively affects their work experience, versus 50% of managers and 48% of employees.
• 66% of executives report that these efforts, on average, have a positive impact on business outcomes––including improved collaboration, innovation, and engagement––versus 57% of managers and workers.

"When leaders measure progress by what they launch and employees measure it by what they experience, a credibility gap opens. The future of diversity, equity, and inclusion is not about doing more. It's about doing what works—and proving it," said Allan Schweyer, Principal Researcher, Human Capital, The Conference Board.

Managers' behavior is strongly linked to impact.

• Employees who feel included and respected by their manager are more than twice as likely to say diversity and inclusion efforts improve factors like job satisfaction, collaboration, and trust in leaders.
• They are also three to four times more likely to say these initiatives positively shape work experience.
• This effect is strongest in Asia, where employees who feel included by their managers are up to eight times more likely to report positive business outcomes from diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

"Across regions and roles, one factor stands out in the data: manager behavior. This signals that leaders should prioritize equipping and holding managers accountable for inclusion," said Diana Scott, US Human Capital Center Leader, The Conference Board.

Outcomes outperform optics.

• Respondents place higher value on diversity and inclusion efforts when they are most visible, tangible, and impactful. Equitable pay, fair promotion processes, inclusive leadership behaviors, and collaborative decision-making receive the strongest positive ratings.
• In the US, the share of respondents saying their organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion effort is "about right" dropped from 58% to 47% year over year, while those saying their organization is doing "too much" rose to 31%, up from 21% in 2024.
• Respondents in Europe and Asia also believe their firms' efforts are about right, at an average of 54% and 57%, respectively.

Global differences matter. US and Europe-based workers report lower diversity benefits than those in Asia.

• While a majority of US and Europe-based respondents say they want to work in organizations that take it seriously, almost half of Asian respondents do not care or would prefer to work where it is minimized.
• At the same time, employees in Asia report higher levels of implementation and stronger perceived impact on both work experience (56% positive) and business outcomes (63% positive).
• Europe-based respondents are the most skeptical, reporting the lowest perceived impact across most measures (50% positive work experience and 51% positive business outcomes).
• In all regions, negative perceptions remain below 10%, but neutral responses are growing—signaling uncertainty rather than rejection.

What credible diversity, equity, and inclusion looks like now:

• Anchor diversity, equity, and inclusion in core business practices. Focus on pay equity, hiring, promotion, and advancement transparency, shifting resources away from low-impact programs to practices that shape real outcomes.
• Make managers the primary drivers of inclusion and accountability. Equip them with practical tools and coaching, and tie inclusive leadership behaviors to performance goals, reviews, and advancement.
• Shift from training and communication volume to capability and relevance. Move from broad training and messaging to role-specific, scenario-based learning that improves how decisions are made.
• Measure what employees experience. Track visible outcomes—pay, promotion flow, retention, scheduling fairness, safety, and participation—using pulse surveys and simple scorecards.
• Close the perception gap through visibility, access, and trust. Make progress visible where work happens, expand access to opportunities, and treat feedback as a signal to adjust and improve.

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.TCB.org

SOURCE The Conference Board