Sixty-three percent of Americans say colleges shouldn't consider race in admissions, according to a Washington Post poll. Blacks are split, while two-thirds of whites and Asian Americans and 60 percent of Hispanics oppose racial preferences.
On the other hand, 64 percent said "programs designed to increase the racial diversity of students on college campuses are a good thing."
"In two lawsuits before the high court, a group called Students for Fair Admissions alleges that Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill practice unlawful discrimination, putting too much weight on race, to the benefit of Black and Latino applicants and the detriment of those who are Asian American or White," reports the Post. "The universities deny the charge, and lower courts ruled in their favor." Respondents to the poll believe that applicants from high-income families have an "unfair advantage" in admissions.
Racial preferences always poll badly. In a May poll this year by Pew Research, 74 percent said race and ethnicity should not a factor in admissions. That includes 79 percent for whites, 68 percent for Hispanics, 63 percent for Asian Americans and 59 percent for blacks.