A new Gallup survey of 3,270 U.S. adults, conducted May 4-11, 2026, for Bentley University, found that Americans’ perceptions of the business value of workforce diversity are improving, even as public debate over DEI remains loud and divided.
Americans Increasingly Link Diversity to Business Results
72% of Americans now say promoting DEI should be a business priority, up from 69% in 2025. The more notable movement is in how people connect diversity to business outcomes. 71% associate diverse workforces with greater profitability, up from 61% last year. 75% associate them with greater innovation, up from 64%. Both numbers improved across Democrats, independents, and Republicans, though the size of the shift and the overall level of agreement still vary widely by party.
Federal Scrutiny of DEI Continues
The survey comes out amid heightened federal scrutiny of some DEI-related employment practices. The Justice Department announced this week that Accenture will pay $25 million to resolve allegations that Accenture Federal Services falsely certified compliance with federal anti-discrimination requirements on government contracts. The DOJ’s statement describes the claims as allegations only as the settlement doesn’t include a determination of liability.
The Bigger Issue May Be Execution
The most useful finding for organizations may be the gap between expectations and delivery. While 72% of Americans say promoting DEI matters, only 34% rate companies as doing a good or excellent job of it. Cynthia Clark, a Bentley University management professor on the research team, said the findings should be a signal for managers to pay attention to what works inside their own organizations rather than chasing “the political flavor of the moment.”
Political Differences Remain
That execution gap doesn’t split the way you’d expect. Democrats are the most likely to call DEI a priority and the least satisfied with how companies are executing it, at roughly a quarter rating performance good or excellent. Republicans are the least likely to call DEI a priority and the most satisfied with execution, at 49%. Skepticism about the underlying business case also persists among Republicans: 59% still say it’s untrue that diverse workforces are more profitable, and 54% say the same about innovation.
The debate over DEI may still be loud. The data suggest perceptions of its business value are moving in a different direction.