A whopping 68% of US adults do not think colleges should be allowed to use race as an admissions factor: Poll

A recent Grinnell College National Poll found that 68% of U.S. adults do not believe that colleges should be able to consider an individual's race as a factor when making admissions decisions, while just 27% think institutions of higher learning should be permitted to consider race.

"In order to expand access to college for racial minorities, do you think a college or university should or should not be allowed to take a person’s race into account when deciding whether to admit that person as a student?" the poll asked.

A majority of both white and nonwhite respondents resoundingly rejected the idea that colleges should be able to use race as a factor in admissions decisions — 69% of white respondents and 68% of non-white respondents said considering race should not be permitted, while 26% of white respondents and 29% of non-white respondents said it should be permitted.

According to Pew Research, a survey of U.S. adults in early 2019 found that 73% thought that race or ethnicity should not be a factor in college admissions, while 19% thought it should be a minor consideration, and 7% indicated that it should be a major factor.

According to the Grinnell poll, while 52% disapprove of how President Joe Biden is handling his role, only 34% approve.

The poll also found that many people are pessimistic about the future of the American economy. People were asked: "As you think about the next 12 months, do you expect the overall strength of the U.S. economy to be better or worse as compared to the way you see it now?" More than half (58%) expect the economy to be worse going forward, while 27% think it will be better.

The poll was carried out for Grinnell College on March 15 to 20 by Selzer & Company.

"Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers," according to the poll's methodology section. "Responses were adjusted by sex, age, and race to reflect the general population based on recent census data."