DEIB in 2025: What's Next?

DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) programs, many of which have been in place for decades, have come under intense scrutiny in the last few years. The recent U.S. Presidential election and subsequent personnel appointments coupled with the scaling back DEIB initiatives at several companies has led many analysts to pronounce DEIB dead. While there are a lot of strong indications that DEIB policies are in a more precarious position than they were this time a year ago, there are also plenty of signs that show that, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, reports of DEIB’s death are greatly exaggerated.

Public perception of DEIB declined, but not a lot

The run up to the 2024 election saw an onslaught of anti-DEIB rhetoric on and off the campaign trail. You could reasonably expect that this increased public discourse of DEIB initiatives would lead to a rise both in awareness of DEIB initiatives and a shift in public perception of DEIB, but as of this writing the data doesn’t bear out. A Google Search Trends analysis of DEI over the last two years shows that while search volume for DEI has increased marginally in 2024, the change in search volume was not significant save for three weeks: the week Vice President Kamala Harris was called a “DEI candidate,” the week of the general election, and the week of President Trump’s inauguration.

DEIB also made headlines last November when a survey from the Pew Research Center showed a year over year decline in American workers’ opinion of DEIB initiatives. The survey showed in aggregate that positive views of DEIB dropped all of four percentage points from 56% in February 2023 to 52% in October 2024, while the overall share of workers who hold a negative opinion of DEIB only increased by five points from 18% in February 2023 to 21% in October 2024. Taken as a whole, over three-fourths of American workers still hold a positive or neutral opinion of DEIB policies.

Some big companies have pulled back on DEIB, to mixed results

2025 began with an onslaught of announcements from high profile companies that they would be rolling back DEIB programs or ending them entirely. Amazon, Google, McDonalds, Target, Walmart, Molson Coors, Boeing, and other Fortune 500 companies have removed or reduced their commitment to DEIB. These announcements sent shockwaves through the worlds of business and politics. Though it is still too early to be certain, there are already some indications that these moves will not be well received.

Many were shocked this past January when Target, once a strong supporter of diversity both in corporate initiatives and branding opportunities, announced a complete end to their DEIB programs. Several Black faith and community leaders have since called for a 40 day “buycott” of Target stores beginning March 5. Though it seems the buycott may have already begun: on average Target stores have seen between a 4% and 8% decline in foot traffic week-over-week for every week since announcing the DEIB rollback, with some locations seeing as much as a 10% reduction in foot traffic.

Consumers are not alone. Investors of Apple and John Deere have rejected proposed rollbacks of DEIB initiatives. In both cases these proposals were rejected by overwhelming margins: only 2.3% of Apple shareholder votes were in favor of a DEIB rollback, and a miniscule 1.3% of John Deere shareholder votes were in favor of a similar DEIB rollback. Across corporate America shareholders have voted on proposals to roll back DEIB, on average these proposals have only been able to carry 2% of their respective votes. Why would they when Costco, whose leadership loudly and proudly proclaimed their continued support for DEIB, has witnessed a 9.8% increase in sales in the last month. Clearly, the market is speaking: DEIB shouldn’t go anywhere any time soon.

Many other companies are digging in their heels in spite of strong political headwinds many large organizations are choosing to double down on their DEIB initiatives. IBM, Costco, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Nvidia, Delta Airlines, and Apple are among the Fortune 500 companies sticking with DEIB. In reaction activist investor groups spearheaded proposals to rollback initiatives at these companies, and as mentioned above these proposals have resoundingly failed so far. These high profile moves to continue support of DEIB aren’t just eye-catching, they show us of a larger trend.

According to research by HR Grapevine, the overwhelming majority of HR professionals report that spending on DEIB initiatives remained the same or increased from 2023 to 2024, and that they expected DEIB spending to remain the same or increase in 2025. More telling are the top 3 factors cited for an increase in DEIB spending: increased C-suite buy-in, change in employee expectations, and DEIB driving business success. These factors show that business leaders and HR leaders alike recognize what consultancies like McKinsey have been saying for years: DEIB is good for business.

What’s next for DEIB?

DEIB is at a crossroads; there’s no doubt about it. But one thing is clear: it isn’t disappearing anytime soon. While political shifts and corporate cutbacks have fueled the narrative that DEIB is on the decline, the data tells a more nuanced story. Companies that continue to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are seeing strong support from employees, investors, and consumers. As businesses balance evolving political and market conditions with employee expectations, equitable hiring will remain a critical factor in attracting talent, fostering innovation, and gaining a competitive edge. The question isn’t whether or not DEIB initiatives will survive; it’s how they will adapt and evolve to survive social and political movements focused on ending them.