Gallup polling reveals that a majority of U.S. adults from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds view the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down so-called affirmative action in higher education as “mostly a good thing.”
Figures released on Tuesday revealed that 68 percent of over 12,400 Americans surveyed, or two out of three, view the court’s June 2023 decision favorably overall.
Breaking down the data, the survey suggests that 72 percent of white adults, 68 percent of Hispanic adults, and 63 percent of Asian adults believe that a ban on affirmative action is a good thing.
Opinions among black adults showed a narrow majority of 52 percent saying that the decision was mostly good, while 48 percent viewed it as “mostly a bad thing.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard emphasized that colleges cannot use racially discriminatory admission policies. The 6-3 decision ended the use of “affirmative action” in higher education.
In his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts said that universities have been mistaken in believing that an individual’s identity is defined not by “challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned, but [by] the color of their skin.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor provided a dissenting opinion, contending that the majority decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”
During the case, a significant portion of the arguments revolved around the assertion that affirmative action policies hurt the admission prospects of college applicants with Asian heritage, resulting in their unfair treatment.
The impact of the court’s decision on U.S. colleges is anticipated to become evident in the coming months, as the first cohort of students applies and gets admitted to schools following the ruling.
A majority (73 percent) of Asian adults, who have contemplated pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the past two years, indicated that the decision will significantly influence their choice of colleges, either “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
Black Americans Divided
Half of black adults are more inclined to view the decision’s impact on higher education in America as either “mostly” or “slightly positive,” or as having no impact at all, according to Gallup. The remaining 50 percent of respondents from this group were more likely to perceive the decision’s impact as either “mostly negative” or “slightly negative.”Breaking down those figures, 33 percent of black adults view the ruling positively, and 17 percent view it as having no impact on higher education in general.
A narrow majority, 52 percent, of black adults believe that the ruling could make it “much harder” or “slightly harder” to attend college or university.
Conversely, 27 percent say it will make it “much/slightly easier,” and 22 percent say it will make “no difference.”
In contrast, Asian and white adults predominantly see the decision as a positive development for higher education in the country, with both groups—55 percent white and 46 percent Asian—mostly indicating that it will make “no difference” for applicants of their race.
Hispanic adults are evenly split regarding the ruling’s impact: 33 percent say it will make attending college easier, another 33 percent believe it will make no difference, and 34 percent think it will make it harder.
All racial and ethnic groups were inclined to think the ruling means there will be “much/slightly less” diversity on college campuses, with black (49 percent) and Asian (57 percent) adults being the most likely to hold this view.
It’s not clear how the poll’s respondents defined diversity on campus.
The survey, conducted from Oct. 25 to Nov. 9, 2023, polled over 12,400 U.S. adults.
