According to a new diversity study by the Association of Canadian Publishers, the industry has a long way to go before reaching any level of balanced representation. Of the 372 publishing professionals who responded to ACP’s online survey, 82 per cent identified as white.

Other study highlights:

• East Asians make up the largest group of non-white respondents at 6 per cent; Indigenous and Inuit members of the industry are at less than one per cent
• 50 per cent of recipients identified as cisgender; with 74 per cent identifying as female
• 72 per cent identify as heterosexual
• 16.85 per cent identify as persons with disabilities

Respondents were also asked to share details about their company’s planned diversity initiatives, such as manuscript development and improved workplace accessibility, and the barriers they face in implementing new policies.

The survey was conducted during the summer of 2018 by ACP’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, which was established to respond to the underrepresentation of Indigenous and racialized people in the Canadian publishing industry.

The numbers align closely with Q&Q‘s 2018 salary survey, which saw 12.8 per cent of its 345 industry respondents identify as non-white.