Observed Shifts in the Health Equity Research Landscape: Results of a National Survey of Health Equity Researchers April-July, 2025

Objectives. To assess changes health equity researchers have made or anticipate making to their research in the context of the current federal administration’s policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Methods. We shared an electronic survey link with health equity researchers at academic, non-academic non-profit, non-academic for-profit, and governmental institutions in the U.S. between April and July 2025. 634 responses were received; 381 completed. The survey assessed demographics, occupational and institutional characteristics, perceptions of job security, experiences of stress, collaborations, censorship, and funding sources. Results. A large majority of respondents (96.6%) reported having made or anticipated making changes to their health equity research. Changes included: using different language (83.7.%), adapting or altering research questions (56.4%), pivoting to new health equity topics (49.6%), developing new health equity projects (50.4%), seeking new collaborators (31.0%), stopping health equity research activities (18.9%), and withdrawing from existing collaborations (8.9%). Conclusions. A significant number of health equity researchers have made or anticipate making fundamental changes to their research. These changes have critical implications for health equity research, public health, research teams, and the communities most impacted by this work.