are admissions decisions based on family ties fairer than those that consider race?

A large body of literature has examined people’s attitudes toward affirmative action policies (Bobo, 2000; Dovidio & Gartner, 1996; Sears, Hetts, Sidanius, & Bobo, 2000; Lowery, Unzueta, Knowles, & Goff, 2006). Intended to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in higher education and in the workplace, affirmative action is a collection of policies that takes into consideration racial group membership in hiring and admissions decisions (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002). Although examining individuals’ reactions to affirmative action is important, examining reactions to other selection policies like legacy admissions policies may provide insight into people’s underlying motivations for supporting or opposing such policies.