SCOTUS poll: Where Democrats and Republicans stand on race-based college admissions

A majority of Republicans do not approve of colleges admitting students based on race, while 31% of Democrats believe that colleges should factor in an applicant’s race when making admission decisions, according to a poll.

A Marquette Law School national survey on potential Supreme Court decisions asked Americans if they support or oppose a rule that colleges may use race as a factor when deciding which applicants to admit. The poll found 41% of Americans favor the Supreme Court banning race-based college admissions.

According to the poll, 32% of “strong” Democratic respondents think that colleges and universities should use race as a factor when deciding which students to admit, while only 27% favor a Supreme Court ruling saying colleges cannot factor in race when making admission decisions. Among all Democratic respondents, 31% approve of the rule and 22% oppose the possible decision.

Among “strong” Republicans, 55% favor the Supreme Court opposing the use of race when colleges consider applicants, while 9% oppose the court declaring colleges cannot admit students based on their race. Among all Republicans, 56% agree that race-based admission should be banned, and 9% believe it should be a factor considered by colleges.

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Over 60% of respondents who consider themselves as strongly conservative said they would favor SCOTUS ruling against race-based admissions, and 5% would oppose the decision.

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About 32% of those who are strongly liberal think that colleges should consider an applicant’s race when admitting students into the school, and 21% do not think race should be a factor.

Among White respondents, 45% favor and 16% oppose a potential SCOTUS decision against race-based admissions. About 37% of Hispanics favor a ban on race-based admissions, and 13% oppose the possible rule, while 27% of Black respondents favor a ban on race-based admissions, and 21% believe colleges should be legally allowed to use race in the college admission process.

Members of the Supreme Court have heard oral arguments in two cases regarding discrimination through racial-based college admissions.
(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Among all respondents, 44% said that they approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing and 56%…