Most Americans wrongly think white men are covered by federal affirmative action

Evidence

Over four in ten Americans (41 percent of whites and Asians, 62 percent of blacks, and 57 percent of Latinos) perceive that “white men are generally covered under federal affirmative action” (Morin, 1995). Legally they are correct. But I think it fair to assume that in the context of public opinion surveys, this result indicates ignorance of how affirmative action normally operates rather than subtle knowledge of the law. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2030

Categorization

• QUESTION: Interesting puzzle: is this ‘ignorance’ or a legitimate reading that white men benefit from networks/legacy preferences that function like affirmative action? Worth chasing the survey methodology.