RALEIGH, N.C. – Based on a new Civitas Institute poll released Monday, early indications reveal that voters remain favorably supportive of what President Barack Obama and Gov. Bev Perdue have accomplished so far in office. U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, however, does not receive the same amount of support as her counterparts.

According to the live caller poll of 600 voters, 64 percent of respondents held a favorable opinion of Obama and 58 percent held a favorable opinion of Perdue. However, only 47 percent of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of newly-elected Sen. Hagan.

“It appears everyone except for Hagan is still enjoying a honeymoon with North Carolina voters,” said Civitas Institute Executive Director Francis De Luca. “Despite criticism of the stimulus plan, Obama still remains quite popular in our state.”

When opinions of these elected officials are broken down among respondent’s political affiliation, the percentages varied accordingly:

Democratic voters: 84 percent viewed Obama favorably, followed by 71 percent for Perdue and 56 percent for Hagan;   

Republican voters: 37 percent viewed the President favorably, followed by 40 percent for the Governor and 32 percent for the Senator; 

Unaffiliated voters: 67 percent rated Obama favorably followed by 54 percent for Perdue and 51 percent for Hagan. 

“Each person’s popularity in N.C. is holding up with core constituencies and unaffiliated voters, while opposition party voters seem more likely to be critical at this early stage,” De Luca said. “It is significant to point out that three months into their terms, a large percentage of voters still have no opinion of their leaders.”

Full text of questions:

“I am now going to read you a list of names. After I read each name, please tell me if you have heard of that person, and then if you have, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person.”

“Opinion of Barack Obama?”

Very Favorable- 42%

Somewhat Favorable- 22%

Somewhat Unfavorable- 13%

Very Unfavorable- 11%

No Opinion- 12%

“Opinion of Kay Hagan?”

Very Favorable- 17%

Somewhat Favorable- 30%

Somewhat Unfavorable- 12%

Very Unfavorable- 10%

No Opinion- 25%

Not Aware- 6%

“Opinion of Bev Perdue?”

Very Favorable- 22%

Somewhat Favorable- 36%

Somewhat Unfavorable- 12%

Very Unfavorable- 8%

No Opinion- 20%

Not Aware- 3%

According to a PPP poll, former Governor Jim Hunt beats Jesse Helms when it comes to who North Carolinians say they have a higher opinion of now.

In public, some topics should be off-limits. Sex, for example. Or religion. Or the 2000 NFC Championship game unless you are willing to concede Bert Emanuel caught that ball.

Another is politics, especially in a presidential election year. And even more especially in an election year like this election year. People are testy.

“Political discourse has changed over the years until now it is more about emotional connections with candidates than it is about the actual positions of candidates,” said Elizabeth Bird, a professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida. “And so when you attack a candidate, it is like you are attacking the person.”

In private you can say what you please, but the office is different. In her new book, “The Power of Positive Confrontation,” etiquette expert Barbara Pachter warns political conversations “can easily escalate into arguments. … You may say something that insults your co-worker.”

Bruce Weinstein, who writes “The Ethics Guy” column for Business Week, noted that political talk leads to expressing differing opinions, and that’s bad news if that dissenting opinion comes from your boss.

Really, the only “do” when it comes to talking politics in the office is “do shut up.” Most people who bring up politics are looking for validation or argument. But if you get pulled into a political conversation, here are some “don’ts” based on suggestions from Bird, Pachter, Weinstein and our own experiences.

• Don’t ask co-workers who they plan to vote for. You might as well ask how much money they make.
• Don’t mock the way someone else is going to vote. As Bird notes, this is like mocking the person.
• Don’t say anything negative about candidates unless you spread it evenly, such as saying, “both candidates are disappointing.”
• Don’t say anything positive, either, unless you spread it evenly and keep it benign: “They both wore great ties at the debate.”
• Don’t be afraid to simply say: “You know what? I’m not comfortable talking about this at work.” Then walk away. Quickly.

“I look for a candidate who agrees with my views on the issues. I wouldn’t care if he/she is cold and robotic or an emotional basket case!”

–From CommonTerry