Views on affirmative action are divided along racial and political lines.

Half of Americans disapprove of colleges and universities considering race and ethnicity in admissions decisions a recent report from the Pew Research Center, while a third approves this practice. But a closer look at recent polls on the subject shows that attitudes toward affirmative action differ based on who you ask — and how you ask.

The Pew survey shows a clear divide along racial and ethnic lines: A majority of white and Asian adults disapprove of racial considerations in admissions, while black Americans largely approve and Hispanics are about evenly split.

Most respondents who disapproved of affirmative action said the policy made the admissions process less fair overall, and a slim majority said it would result in less qualified students being accepted. In contrast, affirmative action supporters largely said it ensures equal opportunity and better educational experiences for students.

a parallel study released by Pew this month showed a partisan division on the issue among Asian Americans, the group at the center of one of the Supreme Court’s cases. A majority of Asian Democrats who had heard of affirmative action said it was a good thing, while Asian Republicans were more likely to say it was a bad thing. Asian Republicans with a postgraduate degree were nearly twice as likely to disapprove of affirmative action than those with a high school diploma or lower.

Affirmative action polls have proven to be highly sensitive to the way the questions are framed on the subject, possibly reflecting some uncertainty or ambivalence in the public’s views.

When questions are asked about the Supreme Court’s role in deciding the issue, there tends to be greater consensus among racial and ethnic groups in favor of affirmative action. When a May survey from The Associated Press and NORC When asked whether the Supreme Court should consider race in college admissions, about 60 percent of Americans, almost uniformly across racial and ethnic groups, said the court should not.

However, when asked explicitly whether race and ethnicity should be considered in shootings, a majority of the public — both white and non-white adults — said it shouldn’t be a factor, according to a February Reuters/Ipsos survey. And likewise, a different Pew survey than last year found that significant majorities across racial and ethnic groups said race “shouldn’t be a factor” in admissions decisions.

The varying levels of support for affirmative action in the more recent Pew survey may not just reflect a contrast in the way the question is phrased — it was referring specifically to selective universities using the practice to “enhance the racial and ethnic diversity of the school increase” – but also changing attitudes about affirmative action over time. The topic has gained more prominence in the public conversation after California voters rejected affirmative action at the ballot box in 2020 and as the Supreme Court considered the issue, suggesting that a subset of voters might give the concept a fresh look.