An Ideological Screening Tool? DEI Statements 'Do' Matter for Faculty Hiring, Evaluations. Issue Brief
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| Title: | An Ideological Screening Tool? DEI Statements 'Do' Matter for Faculty Hiring, Evaluations. Issue Brief |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nathan Honeycutt, Manhattan Institute (MI) |
| Source: | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 2025. |
| Availability: | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Higher Education, College Faculty, Tenure, Position Papers, Teacher Attitudes, Ideology, State Legislation, Teacher Selection, Diversity (Faculty), Screening Tests |
| Abstract: | Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements have become a popular additional criterion for academic hiring and promotion, with large numbers of universities or departments requesting or mandating their use for faculty hiring. Yet little to no empirical research has assessed how university faculty actually evaluate these statements. As such, to date it has been unclear whether DEI statements (as styled by their proponents) operate as a supporting, additive component for faculty hiring or whether they are political litmus tests (as their critics argue) operating as a screening tool to reinforce ideological conformity, easily deployed to sift out academics holding dissenting views. In this issue brief, data from seven survey experiments involving 4,953 tenured/tenure-track university faculty will be summarized. These studies stand as a robust, high-powered experimental assessment of how faculty evaluate DEI statements and what faculty think about them. These are the first experimental studies to investigate this topic. The results demonstrate that faculty exhibit a clear preference for DEI statements discussing race/ethnicity and gender and rate lower those that do not. Such outcomes suggest that DEI statements in this context are likely operating as an ideological screening device. The results from the present studies should prompt colleges and universities to reevaluate the purported goal, function, and use of DEI statements. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED676151 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements have become a popular additional criterion for academic hiring and promotion, with large numbers of universities or departments requesting or mandating their use for faculty hiring. Yet little to no empirical research has assessed how university faculty actually evaluate these statements. As such, to date it has been unclear whether DEI statements (as styled by their proponents) operate as a supporting, additive component for faculty hiring or whether they are political litmus tests (as their critics argue) operating as a screening tool to reinforce ideological conformity, easily deployed to sift out academics holding dissenting views. In this issue brief, data from seven survey experiments involving 4,953 tenured/tenure-track university faculty will be summarized. These studies stand as a robust, high-powered experimental assessment of how faculty evaluate DEI statements and what faculty think about them. These are the first experimental studies to investigate this topic. The results demonstrate that faculty exhibit a clear preference for DEI statements discussing race/ethnicity and gender and rate lower those that do not. Such outcomes suggest that DEI statements in this context are likely operating as an ideological screening device. The results from the present studies should prompt colleges and universities to reevaluate the purported goal, function, and use of DEI statements. |
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