The vast majority of Americans oppose banning  books. And the main reason they believe that is having learned about racial inequities in our past.

A new  poll conducted  by CBS News and data company YouGov, was conducted from Feb. 15 to 18 and sampled 2,494 adults from a variety of backgrounds. 83 percent of all respondents felt that books should never be banned for criticizing U.S. history, while 85 percent of respondents agreed that books showcasing political ideas they disagreed with also did not deserve banning. 87 percent said that books should not be banned for depicting slavery or discussing ideas around race.

Four in 10 believe teaching about race in America makes people more racially tolerant today, too, well outpacing the few who think it does the opposite. But not everyone sees a direct link between understanding and racial tolerance today, as less than half of those who think it promotes understanding feel it also translates into tolerance now.

68 percent of all respondents said teaching about race in America helped students “understand what others went through.” The subject of critical race theory was more divisive, particularly among respondents who identified as Democrats, Independents or Republicans. The vast majority of Democrats (81 percent) expressed favorable views towards critical race theory, while most Republicans (86 percent) held an unfavorable view. Independents were split down the middle, with 47 percent holding a favorable view and 53 percent unfavorable.

Another reason, perhaps, behind these large majorities is that Americans do overwhelmingly believe racism has been a problem in U.S. history.

Critical race theory posits race is a social construct rather than a biological one, with racism resulting from a combination of factors, including bias embedded in legal systems as a byproduct of history and culture. The concept, despite being roughly 40 years old, has been lambasted by critics who see it as a new means of pitting white people against people of color.

In the literary world, young adult graphic novels by author Jerry Craft were pulled from school libraries in Texas last October following parental complaints that Craft’s work promoted critical race theory. Craft’s books include New Kid — the first graphic novel to win the prestigious Newbery Medal — and Class Act, both of which focus on the experience of children of color in a classroom.

We do, however, start to see differences by race and party over how much history about Black Americans should be taught in schools now. Black Americans overwhelmingly think too little is taught. Political party divides White Americans, with most White Democrats agreeing that it’s too little and White Republicans more likely to say it’s the right amount.

Elsewhere in the U.S., Maus, an acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, was banned in January by Tennessee’s McMinn County school board for featuring content inappropriate for school-age children. Author Art Spiegelman, who based Maus on his father’s memories of the Holocaust, called the move “Orwellian,” as well as a squandered opportunity to teach students about the horrors of the events which led to World War II.

Ironically, the attention generated by the bans led to increased sales for Jerry Craft’s books, as well as multiple internet movements to donate copies of Maus to McMinn County residents.