7388: Adweek Clearly Culturally Clueless.

Here’s an admittedly delayed reaction to the Adweek story below. Read it quickly, then check out the MultiCultClassics perspective.

Survey: Is Diversity a Plus?
A new study finds no clear consensus

By Mark Dolliver

In polite society, one encounters little diversity of opinion about whether “diversity” is a positive aspect of modern-day American life. But a survey released this month by USA Network finds many respondents dissenting from the view that demographic and lifestyle diversity is far more a good than a bad thing for the country.

Conducted in late October and early November by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, the poll noted the fact that “there is a great deal of diversity in the population of the U.S., with people of many different nationalities, religions, races and lifestyles.” It then asked respondents to say whether they regard this “more as a strength and advantage for the U.S.” or “more as a challenge and a source of problems.” There was a nearly even split between those seeing it as a strength/advantage (25 percent) and those seeing a challenge/problems (28 percent), with most of the rest regarding it as equally a strength and a challenge.

In a breakdown of the findings by race and ethnicity, white respondents were more apt to see diversity as a challenge/source of problems (29 percent) than as a strength/advantage (23 percent). But the numbers weren’t dramatically different among the survey’s black respondents (31 percent strength/advantage, 28 percent challenge/problems) or its Hispanic respondents (30 percent strength/advantage, 26 percent challenge/problems).

Another question in the survey listed three possible goals for the country and asked respondents to pick the one “you personally feel we should most try to encourage in the U.S. at this time.” A plurality (40 percent) opted for “Judging people as individuals, rather than on the basis of their race, religion, national origin or sexual orientation.” Nearly as many (36 percent) picked “Focusing on the things we have in common and that unite us as Americans, rather than on our differences and the things that divide us.” Lagging well behind (chosen by 23 percent) was “Celebrating the freedom we have as Americans to be different and follow our own paths, rather than conforming to a certain mold.” If nothing else, these results suggest there’s more enthusiasm for the “melting pot” than the “gorgeous mosaic” model of national unity and comparatively little aversion to “conforming” as a social behavior.

Linguistic diversity is a sore point for significant numbers of respondents. One section of the survey noted that “Languages other than English are being used increasingly in daily life by businesses—such as having multiple languages on ATM machines—to accommodate customers whose first language is not English.” It then asked whether respondents view this trend favorably or unfavorably. Seventeen percent expressed a “very” and another 17 percent a “somewhat” favorable opinion, while 20 percent were “neutral” on the matter. But 28 percent had a “very” and 17 percent a “somewhat” unfavorable view of the phenomenon. The “unfavorable” vote was particularly high among white respondents: 35 percent took a “very” and 19 percent a “somewhat” dim view of the trend.

Where religion is concerned, the survey also detected resistance to efforts to enshrine religious diversity by downplaying the country’s predominantly Christian origins. Respondents were asked to pass judgment on the observation that “The Christian traditions that have been part of our society—including prayers at public events and public displays at Christmas time about the birth of Christ—are less prominent now so people of different faiths and beliefs do not feel excluded.” Twenty-seven percent said they view this trend favorably (14 percent “very,” 13 percent “somewhat”), and 24 percent were neutral about it.

But nearly half regarded it unfavorably (31 percent “very,” 18 percent “somewhat”). Here again, an outright majority of white respondents viewed the trend unfavorably—34 percent “very” and 18 percent “somewhat.”

The Adweek story is disturbing on a few levels. First, Adweek is hardly qualified to comment on anything related to diversity, as the publication regularly reflects the cultural cluelessness of the field it covers. Second, polls are no different than focus groups; i.e., these research tools rarely present useful information, yet offer data that is ultimately interpreted to justify whatever position people see fit to advance. Third, it is wrong to potentially apply the results to the advertising industry, as Madison Avenue is not on par with the rest of society regarding matters of inclusion—indeed, the business often appears to be stuck in a pre-Civil Rights Era time warp.

To fully appreciate the discussion, blog visitors are encouraged to download the complete study referenced by Adweek. The findings of any survey are only as good as the questions posed, and Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies asked some peculiar ones.

It is kinda dumb to have people choose between diversity being viewed “more as a strength and advantage for the U.S.” or “more as a challenge and a source of problems.” America is not the mythical post-racial Nirvana. Hell, the ultra-progressive among us are still sorting through the bugs associated with diversity, so it is likely that people would recognize the challenges and problems. But that doesn’t mean challenges and problems should be branded in a negative light. Great change always features obstacles to overcome. On the flipside, it is difficult to declare the strengths and advantages of diversity while the experiments are being conducted. There are simply not enough examples to prove anything either way. And on Madison Avenue, there are virtually zero examples, as diversity has yet to be adopted at all.

It should also be noted that the percentages broke down as follows: 25% of respondents saw America’s diversity as more of a strength and advantage; 28% saw it as more of a challenge and source of problems; 46% saw it equally a strength and challenge. Perhaps the majority of people do understand the complexities.

It is silly for Adweek to decide the study shows “there’s more enthusiasm for the ‘melting pot’ than the ‘gorgeous mosaic’ model of national unity and comparatively little aversion to ‘conforming’ as a social behavior.” Respondents displayed preferences for statements like, “Judging people as individuals, rather than on the basis of their race, religion, national origin or sexual orientation,” and “Focusing on the things we have in common and that unite us as Americans, rather than on our differences and the things that divide us.” Um, these are the tenets of diversity. Wanting to be judged as an individual foremost, as well as seeking connections versus conflict, does not translate to gladly abandoning your cultural identity and embracing assimilation. Might have missed it, but there were no mentions of melting pots or gorgeous mosaics in the survey.

Survey respondents seemed to grasp the potential power of diversity:

10a. What are some of the ways you think of America's diversity as being a strength and advantage for the USA? In what ways is America better off because of the fact that it has people of many different nationalities, religions, races, and lifestyles? [208-214] *

Gives us more ideas, diverse perspectives/points of view/opinions 20%
Opportunity to educate ourselves about other cultures/races/religion 11
Helps us learn tolerance/acceptance of those different from us 10
Adds to America’s diverse culture, we’ve always been a melting pot 6
Diversity is good/beneficial to everyone 5
Strengthens us/gives us more power 5

Plus, lots of the perceived challenges seemed to focus on immigration issues:

10b. What are some of the ways you think of America’s diversity as being a challenge or source of problems for the USA? What are some of the downsides or difficulties that result from the fact that America has people of many different nationalities, religions, races, and lifestyles? [215-221] **

Too many illegal immigrants who receive benefits/take our jobs 9%
Everyone should learn English if they’re going to live/work here 9
We are too divided/separated along racial/cultural/religious lines 9
Some immigrants never try to assimilate to American culture 7
We need to be more tolerant/accepting of those different than us 7
Some people are just bigots/intolerant/narrow-minded 6

Yes, the survey produced no absolute consensus proclaiming diversity is a plus. Conversely, it produced no reason to believe it won’t be a plus.

MultiCultClassics might be overreacting, but the Adweek story leaves an impression that diversity is not as important or necessary as advocates believe. In stereotypical fashion, Madison Avenue could read the Adweek report and feel justified in promoting and perpetuating exclusivity.

The advertising industry does not need more excuses to deliberately extend over 70 years of inaction. Surely there is clear consensus on that.