When it comes to the staff for a news service, 47% of voters believe diversity of thought and opinion is more important than diversity along racial, ethnic, gender, and other demographic lines. A Political IQ survey found that 30% disagree and believe demographic diversity is more important. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure which matters the most.
Democrats are evenly divided on this question. However, Republicans and Independents tend to see diversity of thought as more important.
Fifty-one percent (51%) of Hispanic voters and 48% of White voters view diversity of thought as more important. Black voters, by a 48% to 35% margin, take the opposite view.
The survey, conducted by Scott Rasmussen, also found that 47% believe it is possible to have diversity of thought and opinion without demographic diversity. Twenty-nine percent (29%) disagree and believe demographic diversity is needed to have diversity of thought.
By a 58% to 23% margin, those who see diversity of thought as more important also believe it is possible to have such diversity without also having demographic diversity. Those who see demographic diversity as more important on evenly divided on that point.
Finally, by a 52% to 25% margin, voters tend to believe that demographic diversity does not guarantee diversity of thought and opinion. They believe it is possible for a demographically diverse news organization to still present a single ideological perspective with no diversity of thought and opinion.
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Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left more than seven years ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Methodology
The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen from November 27-28, 2020. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Respondents were contacted online or via text. They were selected from a list of Registered Voters and through a process of Random Digital Engagement. Certain quotas were applied and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.
