Conference Presentation Abstract

“Diversity” functions as what Raymond Williams would call a keyword: a term whose contested meanings do real political work. Drawing on nationally representative survey data from the American Mosaic Project, this presentation examines how Americans understand the social differences the term refers to. We find that definitions split along a key axis: inclusive definitions (diversity as encompassing all social differences) versus exclusive definitions (diversity as specifically about race and ethnicity, or about disadvantage). Race, income, age, and political ideology all predict where respondents fall. Non-white respondents are substantially more likely to hold exclusive definitions; white and higher-income respondents favor inclusive ones. At the ideological extremes, both the strongly liberal and strongly conservative converge on exclusive definitions, though for very different reasons: one treats diversity as a political tool for racial justice, the other as a target. For most Americans, however, diversity is an all-encompassing term drained of specific political content. The findings speak to ongoing debates about whether broadening the concept strengthens its coalition-building power or dilutes it into what critics have called “happy talk.”

Powerpoint