WASHINGTON (TND) — More than half of Black Americans support the Supreme Court’s ban of affirmative action in college admissions, data from a new Gallup poll shows.
The court ruled in 2023 colleges could no longer consider an applicant’s race in their decision to admit them to a school. Left-wing activists decried the ruling, arguing it would harm minorities.
Gallup’s research showed, however, that most Americans feel the decision was a good one. On the whole, 68% of adults agreed striking down affirmative action was “mostly a good thing.” Examined racially, 52% of Black Americans supported the decision.
Asian adults agreed 63% of the time, followed by Hispanic adults with 68% and white adults with 72%.
Though most Black Americans supported the ruling, they remain the most divided racial group about the ruling. Half of Black respondents felt the ruling would negatively impact higher education, and 52% said it would make it harder for Black students to be accepted to college.
Most racial groups felt the ruling would make the college campus less diverse, lead by Asian adults with 57%. The majority of white adults said it would make no difference.
Opinions on whether the decision will impact which colleges students will apply to are mixed. Asian respondents agreed it would impact their decisions “a great deal.” Only 48% of Black Americans and 38% of white Americans felt the same.
While some racial groups will be more impacted by the ruling that others, Gallup writes that many feel empowered by it.
“While the ruling affects certain racial or ethnic groups of prospective students more than others, some applicants may feel empowered to apply to more selective schools, while others may be less likely to apply to such institutions,” Gallup said.
Critics of racial policies on college campuses are now turning to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. Billionaire Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman called for Harvard to shutter its DEI office after the resignation of the school’s former President Claudine Gay.