Nearly three-fourths of college students want to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, according to the results of a new College Fix poll.
The question posed to 1,000 students was: “Columbus Day is a federal holiday in America. Should it be kept as is or replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day?”
Seventy three percent responded they want it changed, while only 27 percent want to keep it as is, according to the results of the online poll, fielded Sept. 14 and conducted for The Fix by College Pulse, a survey and analytics company focused on college students. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent.
The results also indicate there is a huge divide between how students who identify as Democratic versus students who identify as Republicans feel about the issue.
A whopping 93 percent of Democratic college students want it changed compared to only 20 percent of Republican students. Most GOP students, 80 percent, said they want to keep it as is.
Among independents, the split was 70 percent in favor of changing it to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Columbus Day has long been a point of contention on college campuses. Many student governments across the nation over the years have voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
MORE: Despite leftists and the academy, most Americans support Columbus Day
The Columbus Day poll results mirror a similar finding from a College Fix poll taken over the summer which found that Democratic college students are far more supportive of taking down statues of Founding Fathers on campuses than Republican students.
Forty-four percent of Democratic college students polled responded that they strongly support taking the statues down, and another 29 percent said they support the measure, for a total of 73 percent in favor. Another 12 percent were against and 15 percent are not sure.
In contrast, only 4 percent of Republican college students supported the notion while 88 percent were against and 8 percent not sure, the poll results show.
As for the Columbus Day poll, in the comments section of the survey, students have the option to anonymously weigh in on the questions using only their school title, and a variety of responses were fielded.
University of Wisconsin-River Falls: Christopher Columbus is much bigger of a monster than you probably have ever thought.
University of Alaska: I don’t care if it’s Walter White’s meth extravaganza day, as long as I get the day off I’m happy.
ECU: Yeah celebrating a man who stole land from Natives and killed off 90% of their population is a great idea!
Oklahoma: Y’all, the Spanish, who wholesale eradicated two of the greatest empires in existence (Aztecs and Inca), removed Columbus from governorship in the new world for being TOO brutal. That’s how great his sins against the Tainos are.
UMass Amherst: Columbus Day originated as a celebration of Italian-American heritage, not just about Columbus. Don’t take away our Italian day! Instead add an additional Native American day
UCLA: By calling this holiday ‘Columbus Day’ we are participating in the erasure of Native American histories and cultures. Instead, we should take this day to remember and learn about the cultures and societies of the Native American tribes that our society displaced. We should rename the holiday to promote this kind of thinking instead.
Lehigh: I’m Native American and I hate Columbus with a passion, but honestly I don’t think it matters what the day is called. Nobody pays attention to it anyway.
Texas Tech University: Columbus Day glorifies a horrible human being and the fact that this devil recklessly destroyed millions of innocent lives and claimed land that was NEVER HIS… and is celebrated as a hero? Read the room, America. It should be changed to indigenous people’s day!
Birmingham Southern College: America would not exist without Columbus.
Penn State: Columbus is one of the most monumental individuals to ever live. Yes, he was a fallen man. But All men are fallen men. You are. I am. Everyone is. To discount Columbus’ accomplishments and importance to human history because he was a fallen man is to discount the importance/accomplishment of everyone who has ever lived and of anyone who will ever live.
MORE: Howard Zinn lied about Christopher Columbus. Here’s how.
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