More than two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 ban on the use of affirmative action in college admissions is “mostly a good thing,” according to a new Gallup Center on Black Voices survey.
Black Americans are divided in their assessment of the decision, while majorities of Asian, White, and Hispanic adults view the ruling mostly positively.
Students currently applying to colleges are the first cohort in decades to apply without race being a possible consideration in any college’s admission decisions.
Although Black adults are divided on the appropriateness of the ruling, they are much more inclined to think it will have a negative than a positive impact on higher education, generally, and for members of their own racial group. About half of Black adults say the ruling will negatively impact higher education in the U.S. and the ability of applicants of their own race to attend college (52 percent). However, 33 percent of Black adults view the decision as a positive development, saying it will positively impact higher education, while 27 percent say it will make it easier for Black applicants. The rest view it as one that will not bear any consequences, with 17 percent saying it will not impact higher education and 22 percent saying it will make no difference to future Black college applicants.