On an annual list that assesses inclusivity as experienced by marginalized groups in nations throughout the world, the U.S. continues to do poorly.
Every year, an inclusiveness index is calculated by the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley after a comprehensive analysis of the level of inclusion and protections for marginalized groups across a range of social categories, including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. The United States often places in the center of the rankings, behind New Zealand and nations in Northern Europe. The United States rose from 72nd place in 2022 and 2021 to 77th place this year.
The United States consistently receives excellent scores for general acceptance of LGBTQ people (16th) and for religion (27th), but falls short when it comes to race (118th), disability, and gender (108th).
According to Stephen Menendian, assistant director and director of research at OBI, the United States’ overall rating suffers as a result of the incarceration rate. Since the United States has a very high rate of incarceration, but notably a very disproportionate rate of imprisoning people of color, Menendian added, “that pulls down the ranking tremendously.”
The U.S.’s position on inclusion is further hampered by the dearth of female political officials. Menendian cited the fact that just 25 out of every 100 senators in the United States are women as an example.
Researchers took into account violent crimes committed against particular groups, wealth disparity, and how hospitable a nation is to immigrants in addition to gender disparities in public posts. According to Menendian, “the United States has significant economic inequality between social groups, which also detracts from the ranking in comparison to the more egalitarian Scandinavian countries.”
The index this year, according to researchers, took into account national reactions to climate change for the first time, including rates of greenhouse gas emission.
Since the index’s launch in 2016, the U.S. has performed worse than other nations in terms of gender, race, and disability. This can be because other nations are growing while the United States is stagnating, or it might be a sign of a declining trend, according to Menendian.
Hawaii, Maryland, and Vermont were rated as the three most inclusive states in the United States. The report placed Louisiana worst in terms of inclusion, followed by Mississippi and Alabama. Notably, Florida ranks 16th in the nation for inclusion, slightly ahead of New York and Oregon, which are ranked 17th and 20th respectively. Florida has drawn attention for its efforts to limit LGBTQ protections and gender-affirming care.
Iran, Yemen, and the Comoros Islands are the nations with the lowest levels of inclusion worldwide.
As champions for inclusion and equity, or residents of these locations, Menendian said, “our objective is that people can witness the changes and then point to it, and use it as a reference, to argue for more inclusion in their areas.