RALEIGH, N.C. – As the deadline for passing a new budget nears one month overdue, a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute shows that an overwhelming majority of voters think legislators should stop getting paid until they complete their work on the state’s budget.

According to the live caller poll of 600 voters, 65 percent of voters thought that NC legislators should forego their paychecks if they miss the deadline of passing a budget by the end of the fiscal year.  27 percent said they should continue to get paid.  8 percent of voters were unsure.

“As budget negotiations drag on into the dog days of summer, voters obviously feel elected officials should complete the job they were sent to Raleigh to do,” said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes.  “The only job required of the General Assembly is to adopt a state budget, if legislators are not going to do that on time, then they should not be compensated for a job they aren’t doing.”

The proposal is supported across all ages, races and political parties, and receives the highest support (75 percent) from government employees.

Full text of questions:

NC Legislators are supposed to pass a state budget by July 1st.  Do you think legislators should stop getting paid if they miss this deadline until they pass a budget?

Yes – 65%
No – 27%
Not Sure – 8%

The study of 600 registered voters was conducted July14-17, 2009 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Virginia.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Nearly two-thirds of North Carolina voters would support a new law giving them the ability to recall elected officials according to a new poll released Monday by the Civitas Institute.

According to the live caller poll of 600 voters, 64 percent would support a new law to allow voters to remove elected officials from office through a recall vote.  Only 21 percent would oppose a new law.  15 percent were not sure.

There are 19 other states with recall statutes that allow voters to remove elected officials from office.

When asked specifically if they would use a new recall provision to recall Governor Bev Perdue from office, 35 percent of voters said they would.  Less than half (48 percent) said they would not recall her, while 17 percent were not sure.

“Voter disgust with politicians is evident when almost two-thirds of voters say they would like to be able to recall elected officials” said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes. “After just seven months in office Gov. Perdue has turned off voters such that a quarter of own party would recall her if they were able and over half the voters would at least consider removing her from office.”

Get More Information about Civitas Polling

Full text of questions:

Would you support or oppose a North Carolina law that would allow voters to remove elected officials from office through a recall vote?

Strongly Support – 41%
Somewhat Support – 23%
Somewhat Oppose – 11%
Strongly Oppose – 10%
Not Sure – 15%

If North Carolina had a law allowing voters to remove elected officials from office, would you vote to recall Governor Bev Perdue?

Yes – 35%
No – 48%
Not Sure – 17%

The study of 600 registered voters was conducted July14-17, 2009 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Virginia.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

Recent PPP polls showed that when you ask voters straight up, 51% said the budget should be balanced solely by spending cuts while 32% said it should be a mixture of spending cuts and new taxes.

RALEIGH, N.C. – While the President and Congress move full speed ahead on an overhaul of the nation’s health care system, it appears the administration’s demand for higher taxes for universal healthcare coverage is not widely supported by voters in North Carolina.

North Carolina voters say that health care costs is their main concern and they are not willing to pay higher taxes or trust a government run insurance plan, according to the latest poll released today by the Civitas Institute.

According to the live caller poll of 600 voters, 61 percent of voters selected keeping cost affordable as their highest priority in any health care reform.  18 percent selected maintaining a high quality system while only 16 percent said universal coverage for all.

“While political leaders cite all kinds of reasons federal action is needed, at the end of the day North Carolina voters are most interested in keeping health care costs affordable,” said Civitas Institute executive director Francis De Luca. “Politicians would be wise to listen to what the voters are saying.”

When specifically queried on whether they would personally be willing to pay higher taxes to provide health insurance for all Americans, only 36 percent of respondents said yes while 56 percent said no, 9 percent were not sure.

Retirees and seniors over 66, those most familiar with the present government run health care system, were most likely to say no when asked about trusting their family health to a government run insurance plan. Both groups answered no to trusting a government run health insurance plan over a private insurance option by 60 and 61 percent respectively. Only the self-employed answered no at a higher percentage.

“When asked in the abstract whether health care reform is desirable, people will always say yes, but when the public learns that ‘reform’ may include higher taxes and government run health care, voters become much more skeptical” said Civitas Institute executive director Francis De Luca.  “Voters are unwilling to pay higher taxes for health care “reform” and are dubious that a government run system will lead to better health outcomes.”

Full text of questions:

When thinking about Health Care Reform, what should be the highest priority: ensuring universal coverage for all Americans, maintaining a high quality health care system or keeping health care costs affordable?

Universal Coverage for All – 16%

High Quality System – 18%

Keep Costs Affordable – 61%

Not Sure – 4%

Would you personally be willing to pay higher taxes to provide health insurance for all Americans?

Yes – 36%

No – 56%

Not Sure – 9%

Given your knowledge of Medicaid and other government sponsored health care programs, would you entrust your health or your family’s health to a government run health insurance plan over a private insurance option?

Yes – 29%

No – 56%

Not Sure – 9%

The study of 600 registered voters was conducted July14-17, 2009 by Tel Opinion Research of Alexandria, Virginia.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.

According to the Public Policy Polling’s latest poll, President Barack Obama’s approval rating in North Carolina has crept below 50 percent for the first time.

According to the Public Policy Institute, Bev Perdue’s approval rating is now down to 25 percent, with 55 percent of voters disapproving of her performance and 20 percent ambivalent.

From a high of 44% in March, Perdue’s approval dropped to 41% in April, 34% in May, 30% in June, and now 25%.

Her most precipitous decline has come among Democrats- the number of them looking positively on her performance has dropped 28 points from 66% in March to now 38%. A 40% plurality of voters in her party now disapprove of her performance. She’s also had a 17 point decrease in her support from independents and a nine point one among Republicans.

Voters tend to want leaders who exude confidence and seem steady at the ship, especially in difficult times like these. In the first few months of her administration Perdue seemed strong and decisive but since releasing her proposed budget in mid-March she has come across as almost paralyzed, scared to do much of anything lest there be negative political implications.

Since the result of all that has been plummeting approval ratings anyway it almost seems like time for Perdue to tell herself that she needs to govern as if she wasn’t going to run for reelection and truly start pursuing the agenda that she laid out for the state during her campaign last year. She has said repeatedly that she admires the way O. Max Gardner used the Depression as an opportunity to transform the way things are done in the state, but she herself has not led in that way. It may be too late to do anything bold on that front for this year but she has at least two and a half more to bring meaningful positive change before she has to really start facing the voters again.

One way Perdue could have prevented this steep of a drop from occurring- and can turn it around in the future- is to pursue a more clear policy agenda. Bills like the smoking ban in public places, the comprehensive sex education bill, and the school violence prevention act during this session all enjoyed broad public support, especially among her party’s base. But other than signing them the Governor chose not to play a public role in advocating for their passage. She could have won more affection with the folks who voted for her by choosing to be more visible on things going on in the General Assembly besides just the budget.

Perdue’s in bad shape- the only Senator or Governor we’ve polled on this year with a worse approval rating is Roland Burris. But it’s only been six months, and she has shown she has the vision to govern in a very different way than she has so far that would likely help her fare much better in the court of public opinion. Whether she chooses to follow through on that vision or continue on her current squeamish path may determine her ultimate fate as Governor.

The latest poll from PPP asks voters: if there was an election today, would you choose incumbents or challengers.

BY PPP
Unions played an unprecedented role in North Carolina elections last year, particularly in helping Kay Hagan to defeat Elizabeth Dole. But a variety of recent polling in the state shows that they still aren’t very popular with the state’s voters.

The poll we released yesterday on the impact for candidates of receiving various endorsements showed union support as the most potentially harmful at the polls, with 50% of the respondents saying they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who was endorsed by a union. That compared unfavorably to other groups with sometimes controversial agendas including right wing religious organizations (43%), realtors (39%), the Sierra Club (37%), and Planned Parenthood (36%).

April’s Elon Poll showed similar attitudes, finding 51% of North Carolinians with an unfavorable opinion of labor unions compared to 31% who had a favorable one. When respondents were asked generally whether they think unions or business are in the right when there’s a dispute 47% said business and 26% said unions. And by a 50-36 margin they said unions have a negative impact rather than a positive one on the economy.

Hagan was attacked for her union support last fall, but it didn’t seem to stick. It will be interesting to see if next year, in an election cycle where there’s less clutter, this becomes a bigger issue. But one thing seems pretty clear at this point: North Carolinians aren’t exactly pining for unionization, and for many elected officials there is a political risk in supporting efforts in that direction. The climate for labor in the state is surely better than it was a generation ago, but there is a long way to go.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Americans say that Congress and Wall Street/corporations share equal responsibility for the current state of the U.S. economy, according to a recent Capstrat-Public Policy Polling nationwide survey.

Some 30% of voters interviewed named Wall Street/corporations and Congress when given the choice among Wall Street/corporations, Congress, overreaching consumers and mortgage lenders.

Twenty-one percent of survey respondents blamed overreaching consumers, 19 percent blamed mortgage lenders.

When asked what or who is best able to fix the economy, 34 percent said Congress, 33 percent said overreaching consumers and 21 percent look to Wall Street/corporations.

The interactive-voice-response (IVR) poll also asked 629 voters about transparency of U.S. institutions.

Small businesses were rated somewhat or very transparent by 84 percent of respondents, compared to 32 percent for corporations. In last month’s survey, 40 percent of respondents nationwide said they had confidence in small businesses, compared to only 8 percent who said they had confidence in corporations.

“Transparency may not always translate into confidence, but in the case of small business vs. corporations, a correlation could be made,” said Capstrat CEO, Ken Eudy. “In these uncertain times, businesses should pay attention to whether their business practices appear to be transparent to their stakeholders. The reality of saying one thing while behaving another way undermines the perception of transparency and, in the final analysis, confidence in the business.”

Some 50 percent said news media were very or somewhat transparent, and 37 percent said the government was very or somewhat transparent.

The national survey, conducted by the Public Policy Polling May 27-28, 2009, polled 629 adults. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

Find the survey questionnaire and results at www.publicpolicypolling.com.