| Two years ago, our Board of Directors made a bold decision: to benchmark and better understand public sentiment on meritocracy, particularly among younger generations. This decision was born out of concern during ABC-FEC’s annual strategic planning conference that the foundational American ideal —that talent, performance, and achievement should drive success —was losing ground in the cultural conversation.
At the Board’s direction, we launched a statewide poll in 2023 to measure attitudes toward meritocracy and determine if age, gender, race, or region influenced belief in merit as a core value. The findings, while generally positive, revealed a troubling gap among younger Floridians and certain other demographic groups.
In response, the Board approved a social media and awareness campaign, focused on educating and inspiring younger audiences about the enduring virtues of a merit-based society.
IN 2025, we returned to see if opinions had shifted.
The updated results are in, and they are encouraging.
- The belief that merit is more important than other factors (like diversity or equity initiatives) rose from 52% in 2023 to 54% in 2025. The share of respondents who said merit was less important dropped from 11% to just 8%.
- Support for the idea that personal success is primarily driven by talent and performance jumped from 68% to 77%, a 9-point gain statewide. Among 18–34-year-olds, the increase was even more notable: from 68% to 70%.
- The percentage of respondents who believe merit should be the driving factor in economic success climbed from 74% to 83%. Support among 18–34-year-olds increased from 74% to 76%, holding strong even amidst cultural headwinds.
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