Voter See Benefits for Students’ Career Development & Democracy
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 5, 2023) – In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end race conscious admissions policies, a new poll released today by Education Reform Now (ERN) found significant majorities of voters in both parties believe diversity in higher education is beneficial for job training and for democracy. The poll findings underscore the importance of two new ERN reports, also released today, that include suggestions for how federal and state policymakers can support diversity on college campuses.
The poll found wide consensus among Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters on the value of diversity in higher education when it came to preparing students for future career advancement and for protecting the future of our democracy. There was also strong support for diversity across racial and ethnic subgroups.
Specifically:
- 81% of Republicans, 93% of Democrats, and 83% of Independent voters agree diversity in higher education is beneficial for the future career advancement for all students to gain experience working with different kinds of people from different backgrounds and experiences.
- The same question saw agreement from 95% of Hispanic voters, 88% of African American voters and 85% of white voters.
- 80% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats, and 79% of Independent voters agree that diversity in higher education is important for the future of our democracy.
- The same question saw agreement from 94% of Hispanic voters, 94% of African American voters and 84% of white voters.
The poll also found more than half of voters had little confidence in the Supreme Court to oversee how colleges and universities conduct admissions, including 36% of Republicans.
The survey was conducted between June 30 and July 1 by ERN affiliate Education Reform Now Advocacy and Public Policy Polling and polled 671 registered voters. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3.8%. The full results are available here.
Recommendations for how federal and state policymakers can support diversity on college campuses can be found here.
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