More Companies Looking To Quietly Roll Back DEI Efforts Under Trump, Survey Shows

The majority of American companies are now considering scaling back their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts following President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office, according to a new survey.

Just over half, 51%, of executives surveyed said that Trump’s recent DEI-related executive orders will likely result in their businesses scaling back on diversity programs, according to a Littler Mendelson survey published Wednesday. Of those who said they would consider rolling back DEI-related initiatives, 61% said they are also considering whether to remove or reduce diversity-related language from their websites, proxy statements or other outward-facing communications.

Prior to Jan. 20, only 38% respondents said they thought more companies would begin to decrease DEI efforts, according to the survey.

Of those surveyed, 55% said that they were worried about facing potential lawsuits related to DEI practices and programs, as well as shareholder proposals or enforcement actions from the U.S. government. Still, 49% of executives said they were not considering rolling back their companies’ DEI efforts, according to the survey.

“Diversity has almost become a bad word,” one anonymous general counsel said in the survey, adding that “we’ve managed to maintain several previously implemented initiatives regardless of what they are called.”

The Trump administration has been spearheading a massive effort to overturn DEI policies across federal government agencies and American schools