Poll: Most Americans Favor Modest Affirmative Action

Most Americans support affirmative action in college admissions and do not want the Supreme Court to ban it, according to a new poll from the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

However, they do not believe applicants’ race should play a major role in whether they are admitted.

Of those polled, 63 percent said the Supreme Court should not bar all affirmative action in college admissions.

Those polled said high school grades should be the most important factor in admissions decisions, and 68 percent said race and ethnicity should not be a significant factor in admissions decisions.