In the United States, federal laws prohibit workplace discrimination against certain groups of people — but are Americans aware of which ones, and do they support current laws?

A recent YouGov poll asked 1,000 U.S. adult citizens whether it is currently illegal for employers to discriminate against workers based on 18 characteristics, 11 of which are currently protected statuses under federal law — race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, pregnancy, age, disability, and genetic information — and 7 of which are not — marital status, political affiliation, body size/weight, socioeconomic status, caregiver status, appearance, and criminal record.

The results show that while most Americans are aware of the status of the currently protected groups asked about, many assume that other groups are also protected — despite the fact that they are not. However, when asked, most people say they think currently unprotected groups should be protected — with one exception being a person's criminal record.

Can Americans identify which groups are protected by federal employment laws?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The vast majority of Americans (73-85%) correctly identified these as protected groups. While gender identity and sexual orientation are not explicitly mentioned in Title VII, a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling — Bostock v. Clayton...

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