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
Political Issues
All
Political Issues
Publications
-
-
Freedom of speech and LGBT rights: Americans’ views of issues in Supreme Court case
60% of Americans think business owners should not have to provide services if it might signal support for beliefs on LGBT issues that they oppose.
-
Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement Has Dropped Considerably From Its Peak in 2020
Today, 51% of U.S. adults say they support the Black Lives Matter movement – down from 67% in June 2020. A majority of Americans say the increased focus on race and racial inequality in the past three years hasn’t led to improvement for Black Americans.
-
Fewer than 1% of federal criminal defendants were acquitted in 2022
In 2022, only 290 of 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases – about 0.4% – went to trial and were acquitted.
-
In places where same-sex marriages are legal, how many married same-sex couples are there?
In 24 places where detailed statistics are available, same-sex marriages in recent years have ranged from less than 1% to 3.4% of all marriages.
-
Asian Americans Hold Mixed Views Around Affirmative Action
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.
-
More Americans Disapprove Than Approve of Colleges Considering Race, Ethnicity in Admissions Decisions
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.
-
6 facts about Americans’ views of government spending and the deficit
Americans are split on the size and role of the government, though reducing the budget deficit is a higher priority than it was last year.
-
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Workplace diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or DEI, are increasingly becoming part of national political debates. For a majority of employed U.S. adults (56%), focusing on increasing DEI at work is a good thing. But relatively small shares of workers place a lot of importance on diversity at their workplace.
-
In U.S. and elsewhere, most say their country will be better off embracing changes over sticking to traditions
Across the nations surveyed, a median of 62% of adults – including 63% in the United States – say their country will be better off if it is open to changes.
