Most Americans oppose use of race in admissions
As the Supreme Court prepares to release its decision on the University of Texas' affirmative-action policy this month, two recent polls show a majority of Americans are against colleges and universities using race as a factor in admissions.
A recent ABC News poll finds 76 percent of Americans think colleges should not consider the race of applicants. The poll did not find major differences in race: 79 percent of white people oppose the use of race in admissions, while 71 percent of nonwhites oppose it (including 78 percent of blacks and 68 percent of Hispanics).
Meanwhile, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll from this month finds support for affirmative action at a historic low, with just 45 percent of Americans saying such programs are still needed to counter discrimination against minorities, compared with 61 percent who favored it in 1991. Full story.
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