Americans and affirmative action: How the public sees the consideration of race in college admissions, hiring
Here’s a closer look at what recent surveys have found about Americans’ views of affirmative action.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Here’s a closer look at what recent surveys have found about Americans’ views of affirmative action.
66% of U.S. adults say it is extremely or very important that candidates share their views on political issues.
Half of U.S. adults say they disapprove of selective colleges and universities taking prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds into account when making admissions decisions. 33% approve of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity at the schools, while 16% are not sure.
Democrats hold the edge on many issues, but more Americans agree with Republicans on the economy, crime and immigration. Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 77% saying it is a very big problem. For Democrats and Democratic leaners, gun violence is the top concern, with about 81% saying it is a very big problem.
Just 20% of the public views the coronavirus as a major threat to the health of the U.S. population and only 10% are very concerned about getting a serious case themselves. In addition, a relatively small share of U.S. adults (28%) say they’ve received an updated COVID-19 vaccine since last fall.
32% of Black adults said they worried every day or almost every day that they might be threatened or attacked because of their race or ethnicity.
A majority of Americans say medication abortion should be legal, but there is a stark divide by age, religion and party affiliation.
About half of Asian adults who have heard of affirmative action (53%) say it is a good thing, 19% say it is a bad thing, and 27% say they don’t know whether it is good or bad. However, about three-quarters of all Asian adults (76%) say race or ethnicity should not factor into college admissions decisions.
As Election Day approaches, here’s a look at voters’ issue priorities, based mainly on a Pew Research Center survey conducted Oct. 10-16.
The U.S. abortion rate has generally declined since the 1980s, but there have been slight upticks in the late 2010s and early 2020s.
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