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More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision banning the use of affirmative action in college admissions is “mostly a good thing,” according to a new Gallup Center on Black Voices survey.
By contrast, 32 percent of U.S. adults described the ruling as “mostly a bad thing.”
The responses varied notably by race and ethnicity. Among Black adults, 52 percent said the legal victory for Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was “mostly a good thing,” while 48 percent found it mostly bad. In comparison, 72 percent of white respondents, 68 percent of Hispanics and 63 percent of Asians approved of the decision, while 28 percent of white, 32 percent of Hispanic and 38 percent of Asian respondents disapproved.
Half of all Black respondents said ending the use of race in admissions will have a “mostly” or “slightly” negative impact on U.S. higher education, compared to 30 percent of white respondents, 32 percent of Hispanics and 38 percent of Asians.
At the same time, one-third of Black adults said the decision will have a “mostly” or “slightly” positive impact on higher education in the country—substantially less than the 47 percent of whites, 45 percent of Hispanics and 48 percent of Asians who responded the same way.
Black respondents were also significantly more likely to say the Supreme Court decision will make it more difficult for applicants of their own race to pursue higher education, with 52 percent responding it will be “much” or “slightly” harder for them to attend college, compared to 34 percent of Hispanics, 23 percent of Asians and 9 percent of whites.
When asked what kind of impact the ruling would have on diversity in higher ed, 57 percent of Asians said it would make it “much” or “slightly” less diverse, along with 49 percent of Black respondents, 37 percent of whites and 36 percent of Hispanics.
