News: India ranks high in diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness: Study

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India ranks high in diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness: Study

Eighty-nine per cent Indians are familiar with the term, according to the study,which also says 90% of respondents expect companies to act and communicate about DE&I.
India ranks high in diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness: Study

A new report which sets out a framework for corporations to follow in the APAC region to act more relevantly and authentically to meet the local needs of the population reveals a rosy picture of Indians’ familiarity with diversity, equity, and inclusion as a staggering 89% of country’s population ensured their country to feature among the nations with highest familiarity with DE&I.

FleishmanHillard’s research and analytics practice focuses on Asia Pacific consumer perceptions and needs regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). 

The study showcases the need for organisations to drastically rethink the way they are engaging with stakeholders and provides a guide for brands that want to act more relevantly and authentically to meet the needs of stakeholders in the region.

 “We’ve long known that DE&I is not a monolith in the Asia Pacific region, but with this new data, we’ve gained the richest detail we’ve ever seen about what matters to which populations,” said Lynne Anne Davis, Asia Pacific Regional President, FleishmanHillard. 

Speaking on the issue, Munavar Attari, Managing Director, FleishmanHillard India, said, “Our research highlights that India has high familiarity with DE&I considering the country’s already diverse culture of plurality. The top three areas that need to be addressed in India are educational inequalities, workplace harassment, and freedom of belief.”

The DE&I decoded

 Fifty-one percent of respondents agreed with the importance of “making people with different backgrounds more included in society” versus only 11% who preferred to keep the current societal structures. 

 Across Asia, the population is active in advocacy, with 84% noting that they advocate for at least one issue. Economic issues including economic status, employment status, and income top the list, followed by more commonly recognised DE&I topics like gender, social status/class, cultural background, and religion.

Ninety-four percent of respondents cited at least one action that companies could take to showcase an authentic commitment to DE&I.

According to the study, 90% of respondents expect companies to act and communicate about DE&I. However, only 3% of them said that they remember getting information on the topic from their employers.

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Topics: Business, Employee Relations, Diversity, Culture

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