FLORIDA POLL ON DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
SHOWS OVERWHELMING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR DIVERSITY

The first-ever statewide poll in Florida on diversity in higher education has shown overwhelming public support for diversity learning programs and their mission to bridge the nation’s racial divide as they prepare college students for work, leadership and citizenship in a multicultural world. Surprisingly more than half (57 percent) of the respondents who said they supported diversity learning identified themselves as either "very conservative" politically or "more conservative than liberal."

Executive Summary

Conducted by Daniel Yankelovich’s firm, DYG, Inc. for the Ford Foundation’s Campus Diversity Initiative, the Florida Poll was conducted in collaboration with eleven colleges and universities in the Central and South Florida Higher Education Diversity Coalition. Six hundred Florida voters responded to a telephone poll conducted between February 9 and March 9. The Poll has a margin error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

The main finding of the study was that the vast majority of Florida voters support diversity education in general and the numerous specific programs which fall under that heading. Majority support cut across all demographic groups with the strongest showing being among Generation X (18 to 30 year olds) and self-described liberals. Somewhat less strong support (though still significant) came from senior citizens and self-described conservatives.

Most of the voters (about 6 in 10) described their neighborhoods as diverse, "with many different kinds of people." And when defining the term "diversity" without any definition or context attached, most specifically thought of race/ethnicity, followed (distantly) by socio-economic status, ideology and religion.

• 54 percent said "diversity" meant different ethnicity, race, nationality or culture.
• 25 percent said "diversity" meant different social status or economic/education levels.
• 13 percent said "diversity" meant people with different thoughts and ideas.
• 10 percent said "diversity" meant people of different religious backgrounds.

Edgar Beckham, the Ford Foundation program officer who coordinates the Foundation’s Campus Diversity Initiative said "The Ford Foundation has long supported diversity in higher education. At a time when critics are vocal, it is gratifying to know that people see value in classes and programs that teach students about their own and other cultures. People are alarmed by growing divisions in our society and recognize that, in the long term, diversity education can promote unity and help heal these divisions."

Among the findings of the DYG, Inc Poll:

• Nearly seven in ten Florida voters say it is very important that colleges prepare graduates to get along in a diverse society.
• Nearly three in five Floridians (56 percent) think our nation is growing apart, but 74 percent think diversity programs on college campuses help bring society together.
• Fifty-eight percent say every college student should have to study different cultures.
• By a margin of three to one, those who have an opinion say diversity programs in colleges and universities raise rather than lower academic standards.
• More than nine in ten Floridians agree that"in the next generation, people will need to get along with people who are not like them."
• Ninety-four percent of Floridians and 91 percent of northern Floridians agree that"the nation’s growing diversity makes it more important than ever for all of us to understand people who are different than ourselves."
• By a margin of more than four-to-one, respondents say diversity education does more to bring society together (74 percent) than to drive society apart (17 percent).
• Eighty-nine percent agree that"our society is multi cultural and the more we know about each other the better we will get along."

Clear majorities of the respondents that participated in the Poll said:

• Diversity has a more positive (74 percent) than negative (19 percent) effect on the general atmosphere on college campuses.
• Having a diverse student body has a more positive (76 percent) than negative (18 percent) effect on the education of students.
• Seven in ten (71 percent) say: courses and campus activities that emphasize diversity have more of a positive than negative effect on the education of college students. Eighty-three percent of self-described liberals and two-thirds of self-described conservatives (66 percent) agree.
• Seventy-three percent agree that "a lot of important information about various cultures in the United States has been overlooked by college faculty in the past." Ninety-one percent of respondents support offering courses in business schools on managing a diverse work force.

One in three respondents (35 percent) say "diversity education is nothing more than political correctness, which hinders true education." More than half (57 percent) agree that "diversity education always seems to have a liberal political agenda."

The Central and South Florida Higher Education Diversity Coalition

Last year Barry University initiated the Central and South Florida Higher Education Diversity Coalition with 10 other institutions to demonstrate that institutions of higher education can most effectively address diversity related problems on campus and within surrounding communities by working together. In addition to Barry, coalition members include: Bethune-Cookman College, Florida International University, Florida Memorial College, Miami-Dade Community College, Nova Southeastern University, Palm Beach Atlantic College, St. Leo College, St. Thomas University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Miami.

The initiative has been selected by the President’s Initiative on Race as one of the 40 most promising diversity programs in the nation. To maximize regional impact, coalition members on the 11 campuses will offer assistance to agencies local to their campuses that deliver adult literacy services, the General Education Diploma, English as a Second Language, and citizenship preparation to marginalized populations. Participating institutions will also offer diversity training to faculty, students, and personnel engaged in the project. Students will participate in service learning programs that offer them volunteer opportunities in the community, and the Miami office of the U.S. Department of Labor has offered to assist with job placement for those who receive services.

"We consider the diversity of our student body to be one of our greatest assets," said University of Miami President Edward T. Foote II. "The diversity that exists on our campus leads to tremendous learning opportunities for all of our students and will make them better citizens in the future. I believe that all colleges and universities should strive to become true learning communities where students and faculty are continuously learning from each other and about each other."

Added Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin, Barry University President, "The Central and South Florida Higher Education Coalition is a bold concept to assist a special group of Floridians who want to improve their lives and, as a consequence, the lives of their families."