The EDI survey was run in the spring and summer of 2017 and distributed among the AIA New York community via email, with results reviewed and analyzed by Reitman Research & Strategy over the course of the fall. The process was a pilot program; many lessons have been learned along the way and will be applied to future data collection efforts.
Overall, 448 people participated in the survey. Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents were female, while 61 percent were male. The majority of survey respondents identified as white (79 percent) while 12 percent identified as Underrepresented Architects of Color (see additional explanation below) and 9 percent identified as Asian.
Some initial findings of the EDI Member Survey from statistician Dr. Meredith Reitman, President, Reitman Research & Strategy, are graphically depicted for a selection of questions in the following PDF. Results served as a start for dialogues around necessary cultural shifts in the profession and as a resource for industry members and leaders to set actionable goals.
Explanation of Underrepresented Architects of Color (UAC)
To run meaningful analyses, we recoded the expanded race variable into three categories to indicate varying levels of underrepresentation by race. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a rule of thumb for estimating underrepresentation is when less than 80% of what would be expected from the estimated labor pool for that group is represented in the occupation. These three categories therefore include: “Underrepresented Architects of Color” (those who identified as Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, Middle Eastern or North African, Native American or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander), Asian Architects (those who identified as Asian but are pulled out of the former category because they are overrepresented in the profession) and White Architects (who are also overrepresented in the profession but may have fundamentally different experiences from Asian architects).
UAC Race Breakdown
58% Hispanic or Latino
24% African American
8% Middle Eastern
5% Native American or Alaskan Native
5% Native Hawaiian