President Trump’s battle with elite universities, including Harvard, Brown, Columbia, and the University of Virginia, has signaled a major shift in how higher education institutions take race and other diversifying factors into account in the admissions process. So far, the president has been largely successful in his bid to eliminate DEI from colleges and universities, and his threat to cancel funding to schools that don’t comply has been effective. In addition to agreeing to pay sums in the hundreds of millions of dollars to settle cases, Columbia and Brown recently agreed to disclose admissions and race data to the federal government.
The pushback against DEI initiatives isn’t just limited to higher education. The president issued a series of executive orders aimed at dismantling such programs across federal agencies and departments. While the long-term effects of these high-profile changes are still unclear, voters are already reacting to what they’re seeing in the news.
As the only company to accurately predict the outcomes of the last three presidential elections, Resonate is perfectly positioned to keep tabs on voter sentiments on unfolding events. In this blog, we’ll explore how the American public feels about DEI programs at higher education institutions and in the federal government.
According to Resonate data, public sentiment on a DEI ban at public colleges and universities is mixed. 29.9%, or 71.2M voters, agree with such a measure, while 33.8%, or 80.2M voters, disagree. The biggest percentage, 36.3%, or 86.1M voters, neither agree nor disagree. They’re still making up their minds.
Despite nearly equal amounts of voters agreeing and disagreeing with a DEI ban for higher education, there’s far less support for punitive measures for those schools that do not comply. Just 25.5% of voters (60.5M) support cutting funding, while a significant 49.8% (118.3M) oppose it. 24.7%, or 58.6M voters, are persuadable on this tactic.
And what about ending all government DEI programs? General voter sentiment is leaning against this action. 27.5%, or 65.2M voters, support banning DEI initiatives in the federal government, while 46.2%, or 109.6M voters, oppose it. And 26.4% of voters, or 62.6M people, haven’t made up their minds just yet.
Using Resonate’s high-performance data, you can keep track of where voters stand on the issues—whether you’re currently in a campaign cycle or not. The 2026 midterm and gubernatorial elections are just around the corner, and the strategists that have the best data will be the ones who move the needle and win. Resonate has premium Politics & Advocacy data and focuses on not just how voters behave and feel but on their personal values, so you can craft campaigns and messaging that don’t just resonate, but drive voters to the polls in your favor.
Ready to talk about how we can help you win? Reach out to a data expert today.
