Majority of North Carolinians say country headed in Wrong Direction
Published 4:19 p.m. today
In the latest High Point University® Poll, North Carolinians gave President Donald Trump an approval rating of 38%, while 50% disapproved. In the same poll, North Carolinians gave Governor Josh Stein a job approval rating of 44%, with 27% expressing disapproval.
The poll asked respondents to provide their opinions on the job President Trump has done in handling a variety of issues. His highest approval ratings were for securing the U.S. southern border (46%), national security in general (45%) and immigration in general (44%).
More than four in 10 respondents approved of his handling of law enforcement (42%), protecting American workers (42%) and voting integrity (41%). Four in 10 approved of his handling of fighting government fraud and corruption (40%).
Smaller proportions of respondents approved of President Trump’s handling of civil rights (39%), school safety (38%), education (37%), abortion (37%), protecting democracy (37%), threats posed by Iran (36%), health care in general (35%), international trade in general (35%), mental health (34%) and LGBTQ policies (34%).
President Trump’s approval ratings on tariffs (32%), climate change (30%), taxes (30%), the economy in general (30%), the war in Ukraine (30%), inflation (26%) and gas prices (24%) were the lowest recorded.
When asked if they approved or disapproved of the way the U.S. Supreme Court is handling its job, 32% indicated they approved, while 43% disapproved. About three in 10 North Carolinians approved (28%) of the way the U.S. Congress is handling its job, and 49% said they disapproved.
A relatively large majority of North Carolinians (58%) said that the country is on wrong track, while less than one-third (29%) said that the country was headed in the right direction. About one-third of the respondents (33%) said the state of North Carolina was headed in the right direction, while 47% said that it was on the wrong track.
North Carolina Residents – Country Direction (July 2026)
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 — 29%
Wrong track — 58%
Unsure — 12%
North Carolina Residents – State Direction (July 2026)
Do you think things in North Carolina [are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track]?
Right direction — 33%
Wrong track — 47%
Unsure — 20%
North Carolina Residents – Presidential Approval (July 2026)
Do you [approve or disapprove] of the way that Donald Trump is handling his job as president?
Approve — 38%
Disapprove — 50%
Unsure — 12%
North Carolina Residents – Gov. Stein Approval (July 2026)
Do you [approve or disapprove] of the way that Josh Stein is handling his job as Governor?
Approve — 44%
Disapprove — 27%
Unsure — 30%
North Carolina Residents – U.S. Supreme Court Approval (July 2026)
Do you [approve or disapprove] of the way that the United States Supreme Court is handling its job?
Approve — 32%
Disapprove — 43%
Unsure — 25%
North Carolina Residents – U.S. Congress Approval (July 2026)
Do you [approve or disapprove] of the way that the U.S. Congress is handling its job?
Approve — 28%
Disapprove — 49%
Unsure — 23%
North Carolina Residents – Donald Trump Issues Approval (July 2026)
Below is a list of issues that President Trump has to deal with. Please tell me whether you [approve or disapprove] of President Trump’s handling of each issue.
| Approve | Disapprove | Unsure | |
| Securing the U.S. southern border | 46% | 42% | 12% |
| National security in general | 45% | 41% | 14% |
| Immigration in general | 44% | 42% | 14% |
| Law enforcement | 42% | 42% | 16% |
| Protecting American workers | 42% | 44% | 14% |
| Voting integrity | 41% | 44% | 15% |
| Fighting government fraud and corruption | 40% | 46% | 14% |
| Civil rights | 39% | 45% | 15% |
| School safety | 38% | 43% | 19% |
| Education | 37% | 47% | 16% |
| Abortion | 37% | 44% | 19% |
| Protecting democracy | 37% | 48% | 14% |
| Threats posed by Iran | 36% | 50% | 15% |
| Health care in general | 35% | 51% | 14% |
| International trade in general | 35% | 48% | 17% |
| LGBTQ policies | 34% | 45% | 21% |
| Mental health | 34% | 47% | 19% |
| Tariffs | 32% | 52% | 17% |
| The war in Ukraine | 30% | 54% | 16% |
| Climate change | 30% | 48% | 23% |
| Taxes | 30% | 57% | 13% |
| The economy in general | 30% | 56% | 14% |
| Inflation | 26% | 61% | 13% |
| Gas prices | 24% | 64% | 12% |
Methodology:
HPU Poll 124 was fielded by the High Point University Survey Research Center (SRC) from July 1-11, 2026, as an online survey using a non-probability panel of respondents recruited and maintained by Cint. Cint invited members of its North Carolina panel, and the SRC collected 1,005 responses from adults, including 772 respondents who said they were registered to vote, through its Qualtrics platform. For the all-adults sample, the SRC provides a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
