Even In A “Good Year,” Film Diversity Stays Stable

The Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg released a study demonstrating that diversity on screen falls far below that of the US population.

The study found that individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups comprise just over a quarter (26%) of all speaking characters. Individuals from all underrepresented groups face a similar plight in animated films.

Across three years examined (2007, 2010, 2013), less than one-eighth of characters in big-screen films were from any underrepresented group. The high occurred in 2013 when 12.4% of characters were from diverse backgrounds, while in 2007, 8.1% of speaking characters were from underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups. 2010 was the worst year, when a mere 1.5% of characters reflected any racial and/or ethnic diversity.