KENTUCKY — A majority of Kentucky voters say businesses and institutions in the state should be allowed to make their own decisions about diversity, equity and inclusion education and training programs, also known as DEI, without government interference, according to a new poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy.

The poll was conducted from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 and randomly surveyed 625 Kentucky voters by telephone, using both land-line and cellphone numbers. The results of the poll were released on Feb. 13, 2024.

The poll asked Kentucky voters the following question:

Of Kentucky voters surveyed, 71% say businesses and institutions should be allowed to decide regarding DEI programs and education, with 26% saying they should not be allowed to make those decisions and 3% saying they are not sure.

The data revealed a similar trend when broken down by region of the state, gender, age and political affiliation. In Louisville, 76% of voters say businesses and institutions should be allowed to make their own decisions about DEI without government interference, while 71% in Lexington and 75% in Northern Kentucky say they should.

In the rural parts of the state, 66% of voters in Eastern Kentucky and 69% of voters in Western Kentucky say businesses and institutions should be allowed to make their own decisions.

In a breakdown by gender, 65% of male voters and 76% of female voters say businesses and institutions should be allowed to determine their own DEI programs, free from government intrusion. In terms of age, 75% of voters under 50 years old and 68% of voters over 50 years old say the same thing.

A majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents also say businesses and institutions should be able to make decisions regarding their own DEI education and training programs. Of Democrats, 74% say they should be able to, with 25% saying they should not and 1% saying they weren’t sure. With Republicans, 67% say they should, with 27% saying they should not and 6% saying they were unsure. For Independents, 72% say they should, while 25% said they should not and 3% said they were not sure. 

The polling comes as a bill targeting DEI at Kentucky’s public universities advances through the state legislature. Senate Bill 6 would limit DEI practices at Kentucky’s colleges. The bill cleared the Senate on a 26-7 vote after nearly a two-hour debate Tuesday, Feb. 13. It now heads to the House for consideration.

The legislation would bar public colleges and universities from giving preferential treatment based on a person’s political ideology. It would prohibit the schools from requiring people to state specific ideologies or beliefs when seeking admission, employment or promotions.

If passed, it would prohibit several concepts, among them, that a person, based on their race or gender, bears responsibility for past actions committed by other members of the same race or gender. Another is meant to keep people from feeling quilt or discomfort solely because of their race or gender.

The state attorney general’s office could take legal action to compel a school’s compliance.

State Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, said he filed the bill to counter what he called “discriminatory concepts” at public universities.

Opponents warn the proposed restrictions on campuses could roll back gains in minority enrollments and stifle campus discussions on topics dealing with past discrimination.

Senate Bill 6 would only apply to Kentucky’s public universities. No bill has been proposed regarding DEI initiatives at businesses in the state.

The bill is one example of a growing effort by GOP lawmakers to target DEI initiatives in statehouses across the country. So far this year, they have proposed 50 bills in 20 states that would restrict DEI initiatives or require public disclosure, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.

The margin for error of the poll is plus or minus 4 percentage points. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. The full poll is shown below.