Education

POLL: Support For Supreme Court Increases Ahead Of Affirmative Action Decision

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Alexa Schwerha Contributor
Font Size:

Support for the Supreme Court increased as a plurality Americans continue to oppose affirmative action, a November poll conducted by Marquette Law School found.

The poll was released as the Court prepares to issue decisions this term deciding whether or not colleges and universities can use race as a deciding factor in admissions. Forty-one percent of respondents claimed to oppose race-based admission standards while 42% did not know enough about the cases to form an opinion.

Sixteen percent of respondents supported affirmative action policies in college admissions.

Of respondents who had an opinion on affirmative action, 72% were in favor of a judicial decision to ban the practice, while 28% opposed.

“Marquette polling since September 2021 has shown a consistent opposition among the public to the use of race in admissions,” the Nov. 30 press release reads.

Additionally, 44% of respondents approve of the Supreme Court’s job, which is up 4% from September. The Court’s approval staggered over the summer in response to its June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, now permitting states to make their own laws regulating abortion.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 08: The rising sun creeps across the US Supreme Court on November 8, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Republicans were more likely to express support for the Court. Seventy percent of Republican respondents approved of the Court’s job compared to 40% of independents and only 28% of Democrats. (RELATED: Big Corporations Are Fighting To Keep Race-Based Admissions At Universities)

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Oct. 31 against Harvard and the University of North Carolina by the activist group Students for Fair Admissions, who claim the schools discriminate against white and Asian students by prioritizing race as an admission standard.

The cases were originally intended to be heard together, however were separated in July to allow Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson to recuse herself from the Harvard decision while still ruling on the University of North Carolina case. Brown-Jackson is a Harvard alumna and a former member of the Harvard Board of Overseers.

Over 1,000 American adults were surveyed between Nov. 5 and Nov. 22. There is a 3.7% margin of error.

Marquette Law School did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.