53% of Americans SUPPORT Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action in college admissions: poll

The court's 6-3 ruling in favor of nixing affirmative action policies at institutes of higher education has divided public opinion since it was handed down on Thursday.

According to the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they "approve" of the court's move "restricting the use of race as a factor in college admissions." Only 32 percent said they "disapprove," with the remaining 16 percent saying they "don't know."

Around 60 percent of both white and Asian respondents said they approved, while only 40 percent of Hispanic and less than 48 percent of black respondents agreed.

In its analysis, Ipsos suggested that while most white Americans believe people of all races "have a fair chance to get into the college of their choice," Americans of color are more likely to believe that certain groups remain "disadvantaged."

The pollsters noted, however, that the pool of pollees included "small oversamples among Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents." The survey was conducted between June 30 and July 1 via KnowledgePanel.

Also included were questions relating to other decisions handed down by the Supreme Court last week, including giving a Christian web designer the ability to reject certain clients based on her "religious beliefs."

When asked about that case, 43 percent of respondents said they agreed with the court's ruling, while 42 percent disagreed.

Following the decision to end affirmative action policies, a number of high-profile figures voiced their opposition. Among them were Barack and Michelle Obama, and Elizabeth Warren, who referred to the Supreme Court as "extremist."

"An extremist Supreme Court has once again reversed decades of settled law, rolled back the march toward racial justice, and narrowed educational opportunity for all," she tweeted.

Barack and Michelle shared similar sentiments, with the former suggesting that, "For generations of students who had been systematically excluded from most of America’s key institutions," affirmative action "gave us the chance to show we more than deserved a seat at the table."