BRING BACK THE POLITICS TO ADMINISTRATION: CITIZEN ATTITUDES OF DEI IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

In recent years, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies have become central to the United States’ cultural and political battles. A once-viewed as aspirational policy goal has now been redefined by conservative rhetoric as a partisan threat to meritocracy, academic freedom, and traditional values. The following dissertation examines citizen attitudes toward DEI in public higher education in the context of intensifying right-wing backlash, including legislative efforts to defund DEI programs and restrict institutional practices. Using a series of data of original survey experiments and targeted survey data, the three-article dissertation investigates when and why citizens support or oppose DEI initiatives, how attitudes shift when face with the real-world consequences of defunding DEI, and how Black bureaucrats, the individuals often tasked with carrying out DEI work, perceive the value and burden of such efforts.