Toplines - NUSA NC Feb 5-8, 2024

A Survey of 1,109 NC Likely Voters
Conducted February 5-8, 2024

by Rasmussen Reports and Numbers USA

 

1* Biden Approval

 

27% Strongly approve

15% Somewhat approve

  6% Somewhat disapprove

49% Strongly disapprove

  3% Not sure

 

2* North Carolina’s population has nearly doubled since 1980, adding 5 million residents. If recent migration and fertility trends continue, demographers project the state's population to grow by another 3-point-2 million by 2050 and still be increasing.  Is this level of growth more positive or more negative for North Carolina?

36% More positive

48% More negative

16% Not sure

 

3* Federal data show that development has taken about 2,600 square miles of North Carolina’s farmland and natural habitat since 1982. Has North Carolina developed its open lands into cities, housing, and highways too much, too little, or about as much as it should?

54% Too much

11% Too little

29% About right

  6% Not sure

 

4* On balance, has recent development in North Carolina made it a better place to live, a worse place to live or did it not have much effect?

 

24% Better

41% Worse

26% Not much of an effect

  9% Not sure

 

5* Has the government been able to provide the roads and transportation systems to handle the extra population and vehicles in North Carolina fairly well, or has traffic become much worse?

32% New roads and transportation have handled the extra population fairly well

62% Traffic has become much worse

  6% Not sure

 

6* "According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the amount of cropland in North Carolina declined by nearly 1-point-7 million acres since 1982, a loss of about 25% of the state’s cropland. Is the ongoing loss of cropland in North Carolina as a major problem, somewhat of a problem, not much of a problem, or not a problem at all?"

 

40% Major problem

42% Somewhat of a problem

12% Not much of a problem

  3% No problem at all

  3% Not sure

 

7* How important is it for the United States to have enough farmland to feed its own population into the future, as well as help feed people in other countries?

 

75% Very important

19% Somewhat important

  4% Not very important

  1% Not at all important

  2% Not sure

 

8* Which do you agree with more:  That it is unethical to pave over and build on good cropland or that the need for more housing is a legitimate reason to eliminate cropland?

65% It is unethical to pave over and build on good cropland

22% The need for more housing is a legitimate reason to eliminate cropland

13% Not sure

 

9* The government reports that to make room in America for growing cities the last three decades, 19 million acres of surrounding woodlands have been eliminated. How significant a problem is this loss of natural wildlife habitat?

 

54% Very significant

35% Somewhat significant

  7% Not very significant

  1% Not at all significant

  3% Not sure

 

10* Does the United States have a responsibility to the rest of the world to preserve a certain amount of its natural habitat or is preserving the United States natural habitat not a matter of global concern?

52% The United States has a responsibility to the rest of world to preserve its natural habitat

38% Preserving the natural America’s habitat is not a matter of global concern

  9% Not sure

 

11* Would continuous urban development along transportation corridors from Charlotte to Winston-Salem to Greensboro to Durham to Raleigh make this region of North Carolina a better and more exciting place to live, a worse and more congested place to live, or would it not make much difference? 

 

29% Better and more exciting

51% Worse and more congested

13% Not much difference

  7% Not sure

 

12* Do you prefer that North Carolina’s towns and small cities remain separated from each other and keep their own identity or does it not matter too much if they are absorbed by larger cities?

79% Prefer towns and small cities remain separate and with own identity

14% It doesn’t much matter if they are absorbed by larger cities

  6% Not sure

 

13* How concerned are you about the ability to protect farmland from development in North Carolina?

 

44% Very concerned

38% Somewhat concerned

12% Not very concerned

  3% Not at all concerned

  3% Not sure

 

14* Do you feel an emotional or spiritual uplift from time spent in natural areas like woodlands, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, and the ocean?

76% Yes

14% No

10% Not sure

 

15* How important is it that you can get to natural areas fairly quickly from where you live?

48% Very important

37% Somewhat important

11% Not very important

  2% Not at all important

  2% Not sure

 

16* Would you prefer that North Carolina’s population continue to grow at the recent rapid rate, that it grow much more slowly, that it stay about the same size as it is now, or that it become smaller?

14% You prefer that North Carolina's population grow at the recent rapid rate

50% Grow much more slowly

20% Stay about the same size as now

11% Become smaller

  4% Not sure

 

17* Nearly all U.S. population growth is being driven by federal immigration policies. Should the federal government reduce new immigration to slow down North Carolina’s population growth, keep new immigration and population growth at the current rate, or increase annual immigration and population growth?

67% Reduce new immigration to slow down North Carolina’s population growth

21% Keep immigration and population growth at its current rate,

  5% Increase immigration and population growth

  7% Not sure

 

18* In trying to limit population growth by controlling illegal immigration, should Congress mandate that all employers use the federal electronic E-Verify system to help ensure that they hire only legal workers for U.S. jobs?

75% Yes

12% No

12% Not sure

 

19* Should local and state governments in North Carolina make it more difficult for people to move to the region from other states and other countries by restricting development?

47% Yes

30% No

23% Not sure

 

20* Should governments protect farmland and natural habitats in North Carolina with regulations that funnel residents into higher-density development such as duplexes, apartments and condos which take up less space?

46% Yes

30% No

24% Not sure

 

21* Which would you prefer as a way to protect farmland and natural habitats in North Carolina?

38% Slow down population growth

15% Encourage people to live at higher density

29% Both of these

  9% Neither of these

  9% Not sure

 

22* Building subdivisions to continuously accommodate new population growth can impose economic costs on the existing residents of municipalities.  Do you favor paying higher property taxes to accommodate population growth in your community?

23% Yes

67% No

11% Not sure

 

23* One potential way of controlling new growth is by limiting the number of new hook-ups to sewage lines and wastewater treatment plants.  Do you favor using this as a tool to manage or control growth?

44% Yes

34% No

21% Not sure

 

24* How long have you lived in North Carolina?

52% Whole life

15% Moved here as a child

30% Moved here as an adult

  2% Not sure

 

25* Do you live in a major city, the suburbs, a small city, a town or a rural area?

10% Major city

40% Suburbs

12% Small city

11% Town

26% Rural

  1% Not sure

 

26* Would you prefer to live in a major city, the suburbs, a small city, a town or a rural area?

  8% Major city

26% Suburbs

15% Small city

15% Town

33% Rural

  2% Not sure

 

 

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence