RALEIGH, N.C.  – About half of North Carolina adults oppose a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, as the state continues to separate itself from its Southern peers.

An Elon University poll released Monday found that 50.4 percent of respondents oppose or strongly oppose such an amendment. More than 43 percent of those in the survey said they would support or strongly support it.

Voters in every Southern state except North Carolina have approved state constitutional amendments restricting marriage to a union between one man and one woman.

Democratic leaders in North Carolina argue that state law already prohibits gay marriage, but supporters say an amendment would provide stronger protections for traditional marriage.

The Elon poll surveyed 620 North Carolina residents from March 15 to March 19. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

More than half of North Carolinians are unaware that state laws exist to allow public access to government records, according to the latest Elon University Poll, but nearly all respondents feel democracy is best when it operates openly.
 
The poll, conducted March 15-19, surveyed 620 North Carolina residents and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. Respondents were polled during Sunshine Week, an effort by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to educate citizens about open government and access to records.
           
Sixty-three percent of respondents said they are not familiar with Sunshine Laws – rules for open meetings and access to government records – in North Carolina. Despite the lack of awareness, most citizens see the value of public access to records.  Sixty-eight percent said this kind of access is “very important,” while 88 percent feel open records and meetings keep government operations honest. 
 
Sixty-nine percent of respondents rejected the notion that closed records and meetings allow government to get things done more effectively.  While the majority of citizens advocate for government transparency, 77 percent feel exceptions should be made if such action will aid the war on terrorism.

More than half of respondents (52 percent) have attempted to gain access to public documents in the past.  Of these individuals, 83 percent were successful in their efforts.
 
Issues facing North Carolina and approval ratings

The economy remained the top concern facing North Carolinians surveyed as part of the same poll, with 44 percent of residents identifying it as the most vital issue facing the state. Twenty-six percent of respondents identified jobs and unemployment as the most significant issue for North Carolinians.
 
Most North Carolinians approve of President Obama’s handling of his job, the economy and the war in Iraq.
 
Sixty-one percent of residents say they approve of the way Obama is performing.  Fifty-eight percent of respondents approve of President Obama’s handling of the economy, while 35 percent disapprove.
Obama has gained the support of North Carolinians in regard to the war in Iraq, with 65 percent approving of how he is handling the conflict. Even with this support in place, 44 percent felt that the nation is more at risk of future terrorist attacks.
 
North Carolinians believe Obama’s plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq is appropriate, with 68 percent supporting the policy.  When asked whether the war in Iraq was worth fighting:

• 54 percent of respondents indicated it was not worth fighting.
• 40 percent stand behind the war.

“Despite the gloomy outlook on national affairs, North Carolinians maintain their confidence in the new president’s leadership on both the economy and the war in Iraq,” said Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll.
           
Fifty three percent of North Carolinians approve of the job the Democratic members of the state General Assembly are doing, with 26 percent disapproving. Conversely, the Republicans received an approval rating of 41 percent, while 37 percent of those polled disapproved of their performance.
 
Respondents were asked about the effectiveness of North Carolina Senate and House leadership. The results were as follows:

• Leadership in the N.C. House of Representatives
• 50 percent approve of the job by House leadership
• 23 percent disapprove of the job by House leadership
   
• Leadership in the N.C. Senate
• 50 percent approve of the job by Senate leadership
• 25 percent disapprove of the job by Senate leadership
   

North Carolinians also asked about the performance of their House and Senate representatives in the state legislature. The results were as follows:
 
State House Representatives

• 56 percent approve of their performance
• 10 percent disapprove of their performance
   
  State Senate Representatives
• 58 percent approve of their performance
• 18 percent disapprove of their performance

North Carolina residents believe there has been more mudslinging and negative campaigning this election season than in previous years, although most say political ads have not been helpful in selecting a candidate to endorse, according to the latest Elon University Poll. 
 
Fifty-nine percent of North Carolinians say this election has been more negative than past contests and 90 percent report having seen negative ads. Despite this, 64 percent of residents who viewed negative television ads say those ads were “not at all effective” in influencing which candidate to support.
 
“Thrust into the national spotlight with very competitive elections, the state has seen its airwaves flooded with campaign advertisements,” said Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll. “But North Carolinians don’t believe everything they see and hear.”
 
Residents said the Republican Party has been more negative in the race for the White House with 25 percent identifying the McCain-Palin campaign as “too negative or nasty” compared with 8 percent for the Obama-Biden ticket.  Sixty-nine percent of residents feel the overall tone of political ads in North Carolina have been negative.
 
Negative impressions of three major contests are indicated below:

Presidential: McCain/Palin (50 percent), Obama/Biden (30 percent)
Senatorial: Elizabeth Dole (48 percent), Kay Hagan (38 percent)
Gubernatorial: Pat McCrory (21 percent), Bev Perdue (30 percent)
 
Seventy-nine percent of residents feel they received enough information to make an informed vote this year. The outlets where people reported gaining most of their election information were as follows (respondents could provide more than one answer):
 
Local television news: 53 percent
Local newspapers: 38 percent
Internet: 37 percent
Cable television news: 36 percent
National network television news: 29 percent

Seven out of 10 residents in North Carolina say they are interested in a television channel that would televise state legislative sessions and legislative committee hearings, according to data compiled in the most recent Elon University Poll.

The question was posed after a legislative committee began studying the issue earlier this season. That committee met again today.

One in four respondents indicated not being interested in such a service.

The poll, conducted Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 by the Elon University Institute for Politics and Public Affairs, surveyed 477 North Carolina residents and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. The sample is of the population in general, with numbers that include both landlines and cellular phones.

QUESTION: “As you may be aware, the North Carolina legislature is studying the possibility of a state government channel on television that would air the state legislative sessions, as well as legislative committee hearings.  How [interested or uninterested] are you in a television channel that would broadcast North Carolina state government? Would you say you are: [not at all interested, somewhat interested, or very interested]?”

Very Interested: 29%
Somewhat Interested: 42%
Not at all Interested: 26%
Don’t care about it: 1.6%
Don’t Know: 1.5%
Refused: 0.1%
Total (N=477; +/- 4.58)

North Carolina currently feeds audio via the web, but not video, from the General Assembly and two committee rooms. Other states with a population similar North Carolina’s provide video from their state governments and frequently other government programming.

The Elon Poll asked residents what other types of programming they would have an interest in seeing.

QUESTION: “A new state government channel would likely televise other programs about state government . . . What types of programs, if any, would you have an interest in seeing on a state government channel?” (Open ended, and asked only of respondents indicating “somewhat interested” or “very interested” to previous question.)

Government proceedings: 16%
(Legislature, press conferences, courts, utilities, committee meetings)

Economic development: 9%
 
Education: 9%
(UNC system, community colleges, elementary and secondary schools) 

Election/Public Affairs programs: 8%
(Debates, public talks, political experts)

Culture Programs: 6%
(Travel and tourism, history, museums, historic sites, state parks)
 
Human services: 6%
(Health care, immunization information, etc.) 

Environmental Programs: 5%
(Conservation issues, reduce/reuse/recycle instructions) 

Transportation programs:  2%
(New modes, changes in routes, highway construction, new roads

Don’t need the channel: 4%
Other:  9%
Don’t know: 23%
(N=339; +/- 5.43, multiple responses permitted to this question; does not total 100%)

ELON, N.C.- Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is back in North Carolina for the second time in nine days as the GOP works to increase its presence in the state.

The Alaska governor spoke at a rally Thursday at Elon University, telling supporters the energy and economic policies of Democratic presidential hopeful Barak Obama would hurt the country.

Recent polls show Obama has eliminated the GOP advantage in North Carolina, which hasn’t been won by a Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Republican presidential nominee John McCain held a rally in Wilmington earlier this week, his first public appearance in North Carolina since May.

Support for school vouchers in North Carolina remains mixed, with no majority of respondents in the latest Elon University Poll showing a strong inclination either for or against such a program.
 
The poll, conducted Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 , surveyed 477 North Carolina residents and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. The sample is of the population in general, with numbers that include both landlines and cellular phones, and does not restrict respondents by their voter eligibility or likelihood of voting in an election.
 
The survey concentrated on two issues – public education and stem cell research – that have received recent attention from candidates running for governor in the fall elections.
 
When asked whether they agree or disagree that parents who choose to educate their children in private or religious schools should receive a voucher from the state for their child’s education, respondents indicated the following:
 
Disagree or strongly disagree with use of vouchers: 49.1%
Agree or strongly agree with use of vouchers: 41.5%
The issue doesn’t affect me: 1.9%
Don’t know or refused to answer: 7.4%
 
When asked to gauge the impact of a voucher program on public schools, poll respondents indicated the following:
 
School vouchers will take money out of the public school system, thus weakening the public school system: 46%
 
School vouchers will encourage competition among schools, thus strengthening the public school system: 41%
 
Respondents were also asked about funding equity in local public school systems.  When levels of funding for North Carolina education are unequal across districts, 78% of respondents agree that the state should give money to those districts to ensure that all school districts spend about the same amount for each student.  Thirteen percent did not agree that the state should give money and 9% of respondents didn’t know.
 
Forty-eight percent of respondents supported state involvement in poor performing districts, while 41% indicated that the state should not be involved.  Ten percent of respondents didn’t know whether the state should take over schools.
 
“North Carolinians obviously prefer a strong state presence in education, which may explain the lack of enthusiasm for vouchers,” said Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll.
 
STEM CELL RESEARCH

The poll included three questions about stem cell research. Respondents were asked the following question (selection choices enclosed in brackets were alternated randomly):
 
How clear are you, personally, on the difference between stem cells that come from human embryos; stem cells that come from adults; and stem cells that come from other sources, such as an umbilical cord?  Are you [not at all clear, not real clear, clear, or very clear]?

Not at all clear: 11.6%
Not real clear: 25.2%
Clear: 35.4%
Very Clear: 24.4%
Don’t Know: 2.6%
 
A majority of North Carolinians (53%) support medical research that uses stem cells from human embryos, while 31% opposed or strongly opposed medical research that uses stem cells from human embryos.  Eleven percent of respondents indicated that they didn’t know.
 
On the topic of funding, 51% of respondents said they support or strongly support public funding for stem cell research. Six percent of respondents supported some stem cell research, but not all, and one out of every 10 respondents indicated they don’t know how they feel about public funding.

With nearly half of North Carolinians blaming the Republican Party for current economic conditions nationwide, levels of support for the both the GOP and the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election have drawn even among those living in the Tar Heel State, according to the latest Elon University Poll.
 
The poll, conducted Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 by the Elon University Institute for Politics and Public Affairs, found that 39 percent of respondents supported the Republican Party while another 39 percent supported the Democratic Party. When asked who was more responsible for the current state of the economy:
 
Democrats: 24%
Republicans: 48%
Neither Party: 13%
 
When asked who would do a better job managing the economy:
 
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama: 44%
Republican Sen. John McCain: 42%
Neither Candidate: 7%
 
The tie differed from the last poll taken two weeks ago when support for the GOP outweighed support for the Democrats by seven percentage points for the presidential race. It was also before the U.S. House of Representatives voted against legislation that would have bailed out the financial industry during a credit crisis that has the potential to damage the economy.
 
The first presidential debate of the fall may have also helped moved public sentiment. Thirty-one percent of respondents said John McCain knew more about the issues while 30 percent favored Obama when asked about command of issues. Twenty-nine percent of respondents did not watch the Sept. 26 presidential debate.
 
Of the respondents who indicated that they watched the debate, 35 percent of respondents indicated that McCain won the debate and 45 percent of respondents indicated Obama won the debate.
 
The poll surveyed 477 North Carolina residents and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points. The sample is of the population in general, with numbers that include both landlines and cellular phones, and does not restrict respondents by their voter eligibility or likelihood of voting in an election.

“North Carolina, following the national trend, is leaning Democrat for President.  Should this pattern prevail, the result would be a startling change in state presidential politics for more than one reason,” said Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll.  “Not only have the Democrats failed to win North Carolina in over 30 years, such a victory would mark a major milestone for the black community here and throughout the South.”
 
TIGHT RACE FOR U.S. SENATE
Poll respondents indicated a different level of support for the candidates in the state’s U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who is running for a second term, and state Sen. Kay Hagan.   Forty-six percent of respondents said it is time for a new person to have a chance to represent North Carolina in the Senate. That is a slight improvement for Dole compared to the previous poll, when 51 percent of respondents called for a change.
 
The race for the seat is nearly even, with the Democratic Party receiving support from 37% of respondents and the Republican Party receiving support from 35% of respondents.
 
GOVERNOR’S RACE REMAINS CLOSE

The gubernatorial contest remains tight, with 37 percent of respondents supporting the Republican Party and 33 percent supporting the Democratic Party.
 
Respondents were asked to rate each gubernatorial candidate’s qualification for office using a 10-point scale, with 1 being “not qualified at all” and 10 being “highly qualified.”
 
The results for Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue:
 
1-3 rating: 15 percent
4-7 rating: 45 percent
8-10 rating: 18 percent
Don’t Know: 22 percent
 
The results for Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory:
 
1-3 rating: 9 percent
4-7 rating: 41 percent
8-10 rating: 26 percent
Don’t Know: 24 percent