High Point Poll: Voters not happy with politicians
Published February 25, 2014
by Dr. Martin Kifer, High Point University Poll, February 24, 2014.
A new HPU Poll finds that 42 percent of North Carolina residents approve of President Barack Obama’s job performance. The poll, the second HPU Poll of 2014, places Gov. Pat McCrory’s job performance at 36 percent.
Fully 51 percent and 49 percent disapproved of President Obama and Gov. McCrory’s job performance, respectively.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr have job approval ratings of 36 and 30 percent, respectively. Forty-seven percent disapproved of Hagan’s performance while 36 percent disapproved of Burr’s performance.
The poll also finds less than one out of every five (18 percent) of the same respondents believe the country is headed in the right direction, versus almost three-quarters (73 percent) of North Carolina residents who see the country as being on the wrong track.
“Approval ratings remain similar to the January HPU Poll in the percentage of North Carolinians who approve of their elected officials or who see the country as going in the right direction,” said Dr. Martin Kifer, assistant professor of political science and director of the HPU Poll. “If there are any changes, they involve more people deciding to express negative views about the politicians and about the direction of the country.”
All adults – Presidential job approval February 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
Approve – 42 percent
Disapprove – 51 percent
Don’t know/refuse –7 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed February 16 – 20, 2014, n = 403 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.9 percent)
All adults – Presidential job approval January 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
Approve – 40 percent
Disapprove – 54 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 6 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed January 26 – 30, 2014, n = 421 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.8 percent)
All adults – Governor job approval February 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Pat McCrory is handling his job as governor?
Approve – 36 percent
Disapprove – 49 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 15 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed February 16 – 20, 2014, n = 403 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.9 percent)
All adults – Governor job approval January 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Pat McCrory is handling his job as governor?
Approve – 37 percent
Disapprove – 40 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 23 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed January 26 – 30, 2014, n = 421 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.8 percent)
All adults – Senator Hagan job approval February 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Kay Hagan is handling her job as United States Senator?
Approve – 36 percent
Disapprove – 47 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 17 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed February 16 – 20, 2014, n = 403 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.9 percent)
All adults – Senator Hagan job approval January 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Kay Hagan is handling her job as United States Senator?
Approve – 33 percent
Disapprove – 43 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 25 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed January 26 – 30, 2014, n = 421 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.8 percent)
All adults – Senator Burr job approval February 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Richard Burr is handling his job as United States Senator?
Approve – 30 percent
Disapprove – 36 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 34 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed February 16 – 20, 2014, n = 403 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.9 percent)
All adults – Senator Burr job approval January 2014
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Richard Burr is handling his job as United States Senator?
Approve – 30 percent
Disapprove – 29 percent
Don’t know/refuse – 42 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed January 26 – 30, 2014, n = 421 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.8 percent)
All adults – country direction February 2014
Do you think things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track?
Right direction – 18 percent
Wrong track – 73 percent
Don’t know/refused – 9 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed February 16 – 20, 2014, n = 403 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.9 percent)
All adults – country direction January 2014
Do you think things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track?
Right direction – 23 percent
Wrong track – 65 percent
Don’t know/refused – 12 percent
(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed January 26 – 30, 2014, n = 421 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 4.8 percent)
The most recent survey was fielded by live interviewers at the High Point University Survey Research Center calling on Feb. 16 – 20, 2014. The responses from a sample of all North Carolina counties came from 403 adults with landline or cellular telephones. The Survey Research Center contracted with Survey Sampling International to acquire this sample. The survey has an estimated margin of sampling error of approximately 4.9 percentage points for these respondents. The data are weighted toward population estimates for cellular and landline telephone use, age, gender and race. In addition to sampling error, factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional error into the findings of opinion polls.
Further results and methodological details from the most recent survey and past studies can be found at the Survey Research Center website at http://www.highpoint.edu/src/. The materials on-line include past press releases as well as memos summarizing the findings (including approval ratings) for each poll since 2010.
