Is Diversity Really Our Greatest Strength? The Research Says No

The message has been drilled into our heads for as long as we can remember: Diversity is our greatest strength. In 2012, former President Barack Obama said, “What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations.” The White House website even housed a page called Empowerment Through Diversity, which gave details about an Executive Order that Obama signed in August 2011. It announced a “government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce.” 

“He directed executive departments and agencies to focus on diversity and inclusion as a key component of their human resources strategies, and instructed that the agencies both promote diversity and remove barriers to equal employment opportunity,” the website read. “To implement the President’s diversity initiative, The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a government-wide diversity and inclusion strategic plan, and related guidance.  OPM has conducted more than 40 trainings on the development of agency-specific strategic plans and on the government-wide diversity and inclusion initiative.” 

Obama was well known for often speaking about the benefits of diversity and inclusion, and his administration made it clear that it was a priority for his presidency. But he certainly isn’t the only public figure to speak about the supposedly positive impact of diversity. He was just the first U.S. President to talk about it so passionately. Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted in 2017, “Our unity is our strength and our diversity is our power. We must remember that in the years ahead.” She was high-fiving a white person who was standing next to a black woman. 

In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a landmark legislation to “advance racial justice” and fight against California’s “systemic racism and bias” in the legal system. “California’s rich diversity is our greatest asset,” Governor Newsom said in the official press release. 

Beloved author Maya Angelou said, “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” But outside the world of politics and literature, there have been many celebrities and influencers who speak often about the necessity of diversity, and how wonderful it is for our society. 

In 2016, comedian Chelsea Handler posted a picture of herself with a black man on her Facebook page and wrote, “Diversity in the workplace. Look for black people, and then hire them.” It was difficult not to get secondhand embarrassment from the post, as this man was clearly used as a token minority to boost Handler’s engagement. 

Singer and body positive activist Lizzo, who is known for exposing her naked body to the world unsolicited, once said, “My movement is for everybody. My movement celebrates diversity. It's all about inclusion. It's all about getting our flowers and giving each person their own space to be an individual and speak up for that individuality." She has spoken many times about how important it is to have visible diversity in Hollywood, the world of music, and art in general. 

They mean one type of diversity only: racial and ethnic diversity. They couldn’t care less about diversity of thought, diversity of background, diversity of values.

But when these politicians and celebrities talk about the beauties of diversity, they never clarify what they mean by diverse. But we know they mean one type of diversity only: racial and ethnic diversity. They couldn’t care less about diversity of thought, diversity of background, diversity of values. They only want to appeal to the culturally Marxist, intersectional mob of woke nonsense, and that means skin color is the only factor that matters in diversity. 

When people are prompted to explain why diversity is important, and furthermore, a strength, they claim that diversity results in better innovation and more exciting ideas for the future of our country. We’re told that a room full of racially diverse people is the ticket to a bright future. Is there any concrete data to show us how diversity contributes to a better society?

Diversity Might Not Be Our Strength After All

The concept that "diversity is a strength" is a widely touted ideal, but a new peer-reviewed study challenges this narrative by suggesting that increased ethnic diversity may actually erode social trust in communities. The study, entitled "Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: A Narrative and Meta-Analytical Review," was conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University. Through a meta-analysis of 1,001 estimates from 87 different studies, they concluded that there is a "statistically significant negative relationship between ethnic diversity and social trust across all studies."

The primary aim of the research was to understand if "continued immigration and corresponding growing ethnic diversity" positively impacted community cohesion. Contrary to the dominant view, the study did not find evidence supporting the idea that growing diversity enhances community cohesion or social trust. Eric Kaufmann, a Professor of Politics at Birkbeck University of London, highlighted these findings, adding that even when controlling for factors like deprivation, higher diversity is significantly associated with lower trust in communities.

This research builds on previous studies that have arrived at similar conclusions. For example, Robert Putnam's influential study, "E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century," found that in ethnically diverse neighborhoods, trust tends to be lower, not just between ethnic groups but even among members of the same ethnic group. The research indicated that people in diverse communities tend to "hunker down," resulting in lower levels of altruism, community cooperation, and friendship.

Another study by Dr. Eitan Adres from the University of Haifa in Israel found that diversity also undermines a sense of social trust and common goals, potentially leading to sociopathic tendencies. This research pointed out that those who consider themselves "citizens of the world," influenced by values of globalization, consumerism, and individualism, were less likely to contribute to public goods, instead acting as "free riders."

Diversity, especially when it comes about through mass immigration, may actually pose challenges to social cohesion and community trust.

Researchers Neal and Neal have similarly indicated that diversity can destroy a sense of community. Their model suggests that communities that offer opportunities to develop respect for diversity are often not the same ones that foster a strong sense of community. According to them, when people form relationships with similar and nearby others, a different kind of social trust and community sense is established.

The cumulative findings from these studies challenge the often-repeated mantra that diversity automatically translates into societal strength. They suggest that diversity, especially when it comes about through mass immigration, may actually pose challenges to social cohesion and community trust. This is a complicated issue that involves multiple factors, but the data points to a need for a more nuanced conversation on the impact of diversity, rather than sweeping claims that it is unequivocally beneficial. It suggests the need for policies that not only promote diversity but also address the challenges it brings in terms of social cohesion and trust.

A Society Needs Common Ground To Develop Trust

Although research like this is useful, we don’t actually need it to know something that is glaringly obvious. When a society doesn’t have much in common, it’s much less likely that they will feel united and invested in one another. In a 2022 Vice panel called “Asian Americans Debate Model Minority & Asian Hate,” a group of Asians discussed issues such as assimilation and diversity. Commentator Vince Dao talked about why assimilation and social cohesion are actually good things. 

“I think assimilation is not just a great thing, it’s a necessary thing. No society can hold together where people have nothing in common, they don’t speak the same language, they don’t practice the same things,” he said. “On a broader level, when we’re talking about more big picture things, differences in race, culture, religion, all these things—people have fought wars, violent wars, and killed each other over these things for thousands of years. If America is to hold together, assimilation is just not good or bad—it’s necessary. I don’t think it’s going to be possible for America to survive as a stable functioning society if people don’t to some degree say, ‘Well, here’s what we commonly agree upon.’” 

Most of the other people on the panel were completely shocked (and visibly offended) by Dao’s thoughts. But Dao suggests that diversity is an idealistic, utopian idea that might make us feel warm and fuzzy, but in practice, it doesn’t really produce that many concrete benefits for society. 

It’s ironic that so many leftists in America point to the Scandinavian countries in awe, praising their generous welfare state, “free” healthcare, and luxurious maternity leave. They completely ignore the fact that these Scandinavian countries are racially homogeneous. For example, in Finland, more than 91% of its population is Finnish. The Scandinavian countries that have been struggling in recent years with crime are the ones that have opened their borders and wrestled with increasing levels of diversity (such as Sweden). 

If we're going to survive, we need to focus on the things that unite us; we need to have a shared sense of culture, values, and vision for the future.

These Scandinavian countries have such robust welfare states (and thus pay extremely high taxes) largely because there's a deep sense of cohesion and familial feeling among fellow countrymen. Put simply, they don't mind paying such high taxes because they feel like their neighbor is their brother.

In the United States, we have the most diverse racial makeup in the world. The issue is, we discourage people from assimilating, and we don't promote our unique culture, mostly because we're afraid of offending immigrants or people who are hell-bent on rejecting everything our country has to offer. If we're going to survive, we need to focus on the things that unite us; we need to have a shared sense of culture, values, and vision for the future. Racial homogeneity is not possible anymore for the U.S., and that's okay. But we need to find some kind of way to find homogeneity elsewhere, and that is most likely going to happen with American culture. The problem is, many people on the left are disgusted at the idea of embracing our American culture because it has been deemed racist, bigoted, etc. It's funny how American expats are required to learn the language and follow the customs of the country they move to, but immigrants who move to America are discouraged from doing the same. If we continue along this path, the ever-increasing diversity in our country will be our downfall.

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