More than 6 out of 10 Americans believe that giving women and minorities preferences in hiring has been good for the nation, but there is significantly less support for continuing affirmative action programs in the workplace. These are among the major findings contained in the most recent national survey commissioned by the Employment Law Alliance (ELA) in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the use of race-based preferences in college admissions.

As part of the ELA’s continuing series of “America At Work” polls, 1,000 adults were asked their opinion on the ruling as well as their views on affirmative action, including its impact on the American workplace. Of those surveyed, 36% approved of the ruling, 44% were opposed, and 20% either had no opinion or did not express an opinion. However, 58% of those sampled said they believed that giving preference to minorities in college admissions was good for society. When specifically asked about affirmative action in the context of the American workplace and their own careers, here is how they responded:

• •63% said affirmative action involving hiring practices for women and minorities has been good for society
• 20% said affirmative action hiring practices for women and minorities has not been good for society
• The other 17% either had no opinion one way or another or did not express an opinion
• 42% said affirmative action was still necessary to achieve diversity in the American workplace
• 42% said affirmative action was no longer necessary to achieve diversity in the American workplace
• 17% said they had personally benefited from affirmative action in their career. These people tended to be non-white, low to middle income and without post-high school education
• 15% said they had been personally disadvantaged by affirmative action in their career.

Stephen J. Hirschfeld, Esq., CEO of ELA, and a partner in the California-based law firm of Curiale, Dellaverson, Hirschfeld, Kraemer & Sloan, LLP, said the poll findings reflect the extraordinary tension that exists in the American workplace over the issues of affirmative action and diversity.

“On the one hand we see a very strong belief that the practice of employers granting hiring preferences to women and minorities has been good for our society,” said Hirschfeld, “but from some of these same supporters we hear sentiment that enough is enough, feeling that the playing field has now been leveled.”

The survey was conducted by Reed, Haldy, McIntosh & Associates of Media, Pennsylvania.