85 percent of members said it was important for the Academy to lead the industry on representation, inclusion and equity, a five percent increase from last year’s findings. (Photo credit: VKStudio/Canva)

In an email obtained by The Hollywood Reporter last in late May The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences shared the results of its annual member survey of its roughly 10,000 members conducted to “better engage our membership, fulfill the mission of the Academy, identify areas for improvement, and inform our goals and strategies.” The email contained a number of intriguing changes in members’ attitudes. 

Chief among those results were that 85 percent of members said it was important for the Academy to lead the industry on representation, inclusion and equity, a five percent increase from last year’s findings. 83 percent also said that they felt it was important for the Academy to facilitate education and engagement regarding climate action and sustainability in the industry for its members. 

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Other findings shared by Academy President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer included how member attitudes about the Academy increased from 75 percent positivity to 83 percent. The members also improved on how they viewed the live telecast, with the percentage increasing from 22 percent positivity to a dramatic 82 percent positivity. A whopping 85 percent of members also said that it was important to them to have all awards presented live during the telecast. 

These numbers show a sharp increase of encouragement since the last poll was taken after the fateful Oscars telecast when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. The new wave of positivity will hopefully pave a way towards more inclusion, representation, activism and equity for the Oscars and the film and TV industry overall.