African Americans account for 58 percent of respondents, Asian Americans 23 percent and Hispanics 15 percent, with the remaining participants being of mixed heritage. Respondents also analyze situations to develop a plan before responding. Least effective means of responding to discrimination were identified as going along with it, withdrawing and becoming a silent observer, and getting angry and silently stewing. Some studies suggest that minority executives are also faced with more physical problems related to stress than their white counterparts. The survey identified methods for managing stress that are associated with higher compensation.
Family support is a key to success for many of the respondents.
Most of the executives are married and have children. Almost all said they rely on an intimate partner such as a spouse to provide an outlet for discussing job pressures. African American men who reported always discussing job pressures with a spouse have significantly higher compensation than those with the same jobs who didn't. The support of a formal or informal mentor within a respondent's current organization has been by far the most likely key to upward mobility, which is defined by the survey as the rate at which yearly salary and total compensation increases. For African American Women, the most reported factor associated with upward mobility is informal mentoring.