What Americans think about affirmative action in college admissions

A majority of Americans support affirmative action in higher education and in the workplace, according to a recent PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll – an opinion that runs counter to the Supreme Court’s recent decision to prohibit the consideration of race in college admissions.

In a poll conducted earlier this month, before the high court’s decision, 57 percent of U.S. adults said affirmative action should remain in place in college admissions and in decisions about new hires and promotions.

Only 38 percent of U.S. adults said affirmative action should be abolished.

After Thursday’s decision, the PBS NewsHour reached out to a handful of Americans who had responded to our poll to hear their reactions to the news.

Jessie Holmes Allen. Jackson, Mississippi. 75. Democrat.

Jessie Holmes Allen, 75, attended Jackson State University in Mississippi, an historically Black college, at a time when students who looked like her were harassed or attacked for attending campuses that predominantly served white students. She went on to teach history in the state’s capital city and watched history unfold around her before retiring in recent years. Allen, a Democrat, thinks about how long it has taken to bend the arc of history toward greater equity, especially for Black students. She said “when it comes down to the bottom line, [people in positions of power] do discriminate against Black people.” And the struggle for Black people will continue, Allen said. “We still suffer. We’re still fighting.”

Joe Banaszek. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 63. Republican.

When it comes to who should make the cut to attend college or university, Joe Banaszek, a 63-year-old father of two daughters, said one’s work should be all that matters. A white Republican in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Banaszek thinks administrators in higher education should use a merit-based system that only considers a potential student’s grades and test scores when determining who to admit. He does not think race “or whatever other factors” should come into play. “I’m a firm believer that the best performers should ultimately be the ones accepted,” he said.

Adam Ferguson. Miami Beach, Florida. 42. Unaffiliated.

Adam Ferguson said he generally supports affirmative action “as long as it’s pragmatic and not trying to cover up for past transgressions.” An attorney who specializes in disaster recovery in Miami Beach, Florida, Ferguson, 42, said he thinks affirmative action in college admissions should be “used in a way to put people in a position to succeed.” With a majority of conservative justices serving on the Supreme Court, Ferguson, who is white, said it “is not surprising” that this reversal came down, but he said many people who have benefited from affirmative action came from communities that had been historically disadvantaged. “It’s the right thing to do to try to level the playing field as long as it’s consistent with the Constitution,” he said.

Steven Scott. Fairfax, Virginia. 39. Democrat.

While Steven Scott opposes the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action, he thinks the practical effects will be mitigated, since most universities accept a majority of applicants anyway. But he worries about institutions like Ivy League schools that are generally considered more prestigious, which can accept fewer than 5 percent of applicants. Those universities might be more out of reach for students who are already at a disadvantage, such as Black and Latino students, said Scott, who is white.

“It’s going to just disproportionately come into play there and it’s going to maybe prevent some really talented individuals from getting an opportunity to be the next Supreme Court justice going to Harvard Law,” Scott said.

Ruthie Stoner. Denver, Colorado. 76. Independent.

Ruthie Stoner thinks the decision to disallow colleges and universities from considering the race of applicants is another in a long line of government actions harming Black Americans. Stoner, who is Black and Native American, believes minority students “will be more discriminated against,” and distrusts rulings from the majority conservative court. “The African American population, Blacks, have been held back for so long from slavery. We are behind and it doesn’t look like we’re going to ever catch up. And rulings like that make it more obvious to me,” she said.

Marchele Jansen. Auburn, California. 65. Democrat.

Marchele Jansen is disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision, but remains hopeful that students who are disadvantaged will still receive consideration for admittance based on life experiences. But she’s worried that subconscious biases in education will hinder Black and Hispanic students from “getting a fair shot.” More than anything, Jansen, who is white, is concerned about some colleges and universities giving preferential admission to legacy students, whose parents or grandparents are alumni of a school.