New poll shows strong support for election reform and concerns about casino gambling, fracking, hospital practices, repeal of consumer protections and impact of Amendment One.

With state lawmakers returning to Raleightomorrow afternoon to begin the 2012 legislative session, NC Policy Watch is happy to announce the release of the latest edition of its Carolina Issues Poll. This month’s poll quizzed 600 voters throughout the state between May 11 and 13 with respect to their attitudes on a host of timely issues that figure to be on the front burner at the General Assembly in coming weeks. Questions in the poll were developed by Policy Watch staff and then vetted and posed to registered voters by the nationally recognized, Raleigh-based polling firm Public Policy Polling. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

Here are the results:

In keeping with similar results elsewhere, North Carolina votes expressed significant support for moving away from the state’s hyper-partisan legislative redistricting process and strong concerns about the flood of “Super Pac” money that has been inundating the electoral process.

Q1 Under current law, state legislators are responsible for drawing the maps of the districts that they and members of congress represent and in which they stand for election. Do you support or oppose a proposal advanced by election law reform groups that would turn this job over to an independent, nonpartisan commission?

Support ………………………………………………….. 47%

Oppose ………………………………………………….. 27%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 26%

Q2 In 2010, the United States Supreme Court ruled that corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals can spend unlimited amounts of money to directly influence the outcome of elections without disclosing it to the public. Since then, more and more candidates are relying upon so-called “Super PACs” funded by such groups and individuals to fund their campaigns. Do you think this is good or bad for our state?

Good idea ………………………………………………. 10%

Bad idea…………………………………………………. 82%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Another issue that the General Assembly seems likely to consider during the short session is gambling. According to legislative leaders, lawmakers will consider a bill that would ratify an agreement with the Cherokee Tribe to bring casino-style gambling to the Western North Carolina. A proposal to deal with the state’s ongoing controversy surrounding video poker and “sweepstakes” machines may also be on the table. On these issues, voters have real concerns.

Q3 North Carolina has long prohibited casino-style gambling with live dealers in the state. Large, out-of-state gambling corporations would like to change this, however, and are lobbying state officials and the Cherokee tribe to introduce casino gambling for the first time. Do you support or oppose the introduction of casino-style gambling?

Support ………………………………………………….. 38%

Oppose ………………………………………………….. 53%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Q4 Another controversy related to gambling centers around the video poker and so-called “sweepstakes” machines. Do you think the state should or should not be able to ban such machines in order to protect public health and safety?

NC should be able to ban them …………………. 55%

NC should not …………………………………………. 37%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

A major controversy that has arisen in North Carolina policy circles in recent weeks concerns the issue of nonprofit hospital practices. A week-long series of reports coauthored by reporters for Raleigh’s News & Observer and the Charlotte Observer revealed, among other things, that many large, nonprofit hospitals with charity care policies have not informed their patients of the existence of these policies. Many have also continued to use aggressive debt collection practices in pursuing old debts, including placing liens on people’s homes. The new poll shows that voters strongly disapprove of both practices.

Q5 Currently, every nonprofit hospital inNorth Carolina has a policy that spells out who is entitled to free or reduced-price care if they are too poor to pay their bill. Many of these hospitals, however, do not inform all patients of these policies. Do you think that hospitals should be required to inform all patients of their policies for free and reduced-price care, or not?

Hospitals should be required to inform all patients of their policies for free and reduced price care……………………………………………………….81%

They should not …………………………………….. 12%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 7%

Q6 Current law allows hospitals to place liens on the homes of people who are unable to pay their hospital bills. This can make it impossible for the homeowner to sell or refinance, and can lead to foreclosure. Do you think hospitals should be able to place liens on the homes of people who are unable to pay their hospital bills, or not?

Hospitals should be able to……………………….. 14%

They should not ………………………………………. 77%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

On another timely health care issue, voters of all stripes voiced strong support for retaining two key components of the Affordable Care Act – the federal health care reform law sometimes referred to as “Obamacare.”

Q7 Under the federal health care reform law known as the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, and parents may enroll their children in their family coverage until they reach age 26. Opponents of the law want to repeal these protections. Do you think these protections should be repealed, or not?

They should be repealed ………………………….. 24%

They should not ………………………………………. 65%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%

Last year in the General Assembly, industry lobbyists succeeding in advancing a bill though the House of Representatives that would repeal key provisions of a 2010 law known as the Homeowner and Homebuyer Protection Act. The bill, which is pending in the Senate, would severely limit protections against abusive practices found in foreclosure “rescue,” “lease with option to buy” and “contract for deed” transactions. Voters have grave concern about repealing these consumer protections.

Q8 In 2010,North Carolina adopted new laws designed to protect vulnerable homebuyers and homeowners from businesses who convince people to sign over the titles to their homes without any upfront payments. Businesses engaged in this industry claim the rules are too burdensome are now lobbying state lawmakers to repeal these consumer protections. Do you think these protections should be repealed, or not?

They should be repealed ………………………….. 17%

They should not ………………………………………. 55%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 28%

Yet another issue likely to be taken up by lawmakers in the coming weeks is fracking – the controversial procedure under which water and chemicals are injected underground to free up natural gas deposits. Here again, voters support a cautious approach.

Q9 Fracking is a controversial practice in which large amounts of water and chemicals are pumped underground under high pressure to unlock natural gas deposits. Opponents worry about a number of serious potential impacts on nearby communities and the environment. Supporters say these concerns are overblown. Do you thinkNorth Carolina should legalize fracking now or wait for more health and safety studies before proceeding?

NC should legalize fracking now………………… 31%

NC should wait for more health and safety studies………….63%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 6%

Finally, in the aftermath of the recent passage of a state constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, there is new evidence that voters failed to understand the full impact of their action. When asked whether they thought it a good change that cities providing health insurance coverage to unmarried couples would likely have to halt the practice, a narrow plurality sad “no.” This result stands in sharp contrast to the final 61-39 approval that the measure received at the polls.

Q10 Now thatNorth Carolina has adopted a constitutional amendment banning state recognition of “any domestic legal union” other than a marriage between a man and a woman, employees of some cities may no longer be able to get health insurance coverage for their unmarried partners. Do you think this is a good change or a bad one?

Good change ………………………………………….. 43%

Bad change…………………………………………….. 44%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 13% 

To read the entire poll, as well as the crosstabs, click here.

New Carolina Issues Poll shows strong voter support for public schools and teachers and strong opposition to the legislature’s funding cuts

NC Policy Watch is happy to announce the release of a special, public education edition of its Carolina Issues Poll. Periodically the staff of NC Policy Watch develops a series of questions on timely issues impacting state policy debates that are then vetted and posed to registered voters by the nationally recognized, Raleigh-based polling firm Public Policy Polling.

This month’s poll quizzed 500 voters from April 5 through 7 on their attitudes toward public schools in North Carolina and, in particular, the current contentious debates over education funding, teacher cuts and the growth in for-profit charter schools.

Here are the results:

In general, voters retain a favorable and supportive attitude toward public schools, worry that they are faltering under the strains and demands placed upon them by elected officials and overwhelmingly support higher better funding.

Q1 Do you have a generally favorable or unfavorable impression of your local public schools?

Favorable…………………………………………………..48%

Unfavorable……………………………………………….34%

Not sure …………………………………………………….18%

Q2 Some political candidates have suggested that our public schools are “broken” and “failing.” Do you agree or disagree with this sentiment?

Agree…………………………………………………………45%

Disagree…………………………………………………….41%

Not sure …………………………………………………….14%

Q3 Do you think your local public schools should receive more funding, less funding or about the amount they have right now?

More funding………………………………………………65%

Less funding.……………………………………………….13%

About the same..………………………………………….21%

Not sure………………………………………………2%.

When it comes to teachers, voters also remain very supportive of better pay and concerned about the ever-growing list of demands placed upon them.          

Q4 Do you think your local public school teachers are paid too much, not enough or about the right amount?

Too much……………………………………………………………9%

Not enough………………………………..…………………67%

About the right amount………………………………….22%

Not sure…………………………………………………………….2%

Q5 Do you think that North Carolina asks too much, not enough or about the right amount from your local public school teachers?

Too much………………………………………………………….32%

Not enough………………………………..…………………33%

About the right amount………………………………….25%

Not sure…………………………………………………………….10%

Another area in which voters are in broad agreement is the current funding situation. Overwhelmingly, they think cutting school personnel and increasing class size are bad ideas. They also hold the state legislature responsible for current shortfalls and trust local superintendents far more than legislators to understand and explain the effects of the cuts.

Q6 North Carolina public schools have fewer teachers, teacher assistants and other professionals during the current school year than last. Do you think this is a good thing or bad thing for North Carolina?

Good thing……………………………………………………….23%

Bad thing…………………………………………………………64%

Not sure ………………………………………………………….13%

Q7 Who do you trust more to tell you what effect recent budget cuts have had on public schools in your area: your local school superintendent or your state legislator?

Local school superintendent ……………………………..63%

State legislator ……………………………………………….16%

Not sure …………………………………………………………21%

Q8 Who do you think is most responsible for the education budget cuts that have been made in North Carolina: the state legislature, Governor Perdue or the federal government?

State Legislature……………………………………………..50%

Governor Perdue ……………………………………………21%

Federal government………………………………………..19%

Not sure ………………………………………………………..10%

Q9 Do you think that keeping class sizes small is an important tool in improving the quality of public education or that it is not an important factor?

Important factor……………………………………………..80%

Not an important factor …………………………………16%

Not sure ……………………………………………………….3%

Finally, on the state’s rapidly expanding experiment with charter schools, voters voiced a strong note of caution on the controversial issue of for-profit charters.

Do you think it is appropriate or inappropriate for the state of North Carolina to allow for-profit corporations headquartered and controlled outside of the state to run publicly-funded charter schools?

Appropriate ………………………………………………….28%

Inappropriate…………………………………………………57%

Not sure ……………………………………………………….15%

To read the entire poll, as well as the crosstabs, click here.

NC Policy Watch is happy to announce the release of a special Charlotte edition of its Carolina Issues Poll. The poll, which was conducted by the nationally recognized, Raleigh-based polling firm Public Policy Polling, quizzed 957 voters on October 29-31 regarding a wide variety of current issues, including:

• The Charlotte mayoral election between incumbent Anthony Foxx and challenger Scott Stone,
• The impact of the state sales tax cut enacted this summer,
• The decision of state lawmakers to cut taxes and reduce public investments health, human services and the environment,
• The idea of establishing a nonpartisan commission to handle the state’s redistricting process,
• House Speaker Thom Tillis’s controversial “divide and conquer” speech,
• Attitudes toward Occupy Wall Street and more.

Here are the basic results:

Democratic Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx enjoys a commanding lead in his run for re-election against Republican challenger, Scott Stone. Foxx leads his challenger in all age groups, all races, among men and women and among Democrats and Independents. Only amongst Republicans does the challenger lead.

Q1 The candidates for Mayor of Charlotte are Democrat Anthony Foxx and Republican Scott Stone. If the election was today, who would you vote for?

Foxx…………………………………………………..58%

Stone………………………………………………….32%

Not sure………………………………………………10%

When it comes to the performance of the North Carolina General Assembly, Charlotteans generally expressed skepticism about the decision to cut taxes and services.

Q2 On July 1st, the state sales tax was reduced by 1 cent. Has this had a positive or negative impact on your life, or has it not affected your life at all?

Positive effect ………………………………………….33%

Negative effect…………………………………………14%

Hasn’t affected your life at all…………………… 53%

Q3 As a result of the sales tax reduction and other tax cuts for corporations and upper-income households, lawmakers were forced to cut or eliminate funding to a number of health care programs, including prescription drug assistance for seniors, anti-smoking programs for teens, and home health services and dental care for many elderly and disabled adults. In general, do you think this was the right direction or the wrong direction for the state to take?

Right direction…………………………………………29%

Wrong direction……………………………………….52%

Not sure ………………………………………………….19%

Q4 The new state budget also cuts funding for a number of environmental protection programs, like the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and makes it much harder for the state to adopt new pollution control rules. Do you think this was the right direction or the wrong direction for the state to take?

Right direction………………………………………….30%

Wrong direction………………………………………..50%

Not sure …………………………………………………..19%

On the controversial topic of redistricting (Republican maps are currently under Justice system review), poll respondents expressed strong support for the establishment of a nonpartisan redistricting commission.

Q5 State lawmakers have adopted state and congressional legislative districts. These maps were drawn up by Republicans, and are opposed by Democrats. Some have suggested a nonpartisan commission could do a better job of drawing such maps. Would you support or oppose a proposal to establish a nonpartisan commission to oversee the redistricting process?

Support …………………………………………………..58%

Oppose ……………………………………………………24%

Not sure …………………………………………………..18%

With state lawmakers scheduled to return to Raleigh for another special session next week to deal with an, as yet, undisclosed agenda, poll respondents voiced overwhelming support for requiring lawmakers to publicize their plans prior to convening such sessions.

Q6 The North Carolina General Assembly adjourned in June, but leaders have scheduled multiple special sessions of just a few days each since then. Some people have raised the concern that legislative leaders have failed to notify the public ahead of time of the subjects that will be considered during these special sessions. Do you think leaders should be required to advise the public ahead of time of the subjects that will be considered during special legislative sessions or not?

Leaders should be required to advise the public of what subjects will be considered……86%

Don’t think they should be required to………….9%

Not sure …………………………………………………..5%

On the question of House Speaker Thom Tillis’ recent controversial statements, voters voiced strong disapproval for the lawmaker’s suggestion that disabled persons should “look down” on other recipients of public benefits. Respondents approved, however, of the general idea of drug testing state employees.

Q7 Recently, North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County told an audience that he wanted to “divide and conquer” North Carolinians who receive public assistance by getting people with disabilities to “look down” upon people “who choose to a condition that makes them dependent upon the government.” Do you agree or disagree with Tillis’ sentiment?

Agree ……………………………………………………..26%

Disagree …………………………………………………52%

Not sure ………………………………………………….22%

Q8 At the same appearance, Tillis told his audience that he thought mandatory drug testing for all state employees was a good idea. Do you agree or disagree with mandatory drug testing for state employees?

Agree ……………………………………………………..62%

Disagree …………………………………………………32%

Not sure …………………………………………………..6%

Finally, on the matter of “Occupy Wall Street,” respondents had a narrowly positive view of the movement itself and a strongly favorable view of its central message.

Q9 Recently, a new movement has developed around the country under the name “Occupy Wall Street.” Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the movement?

Favorable………………………………………………..40%

Unfavorable …………………………………………….38%

Not sure …………………………………………………..21%

Q10 Occupy Wall Street has championed the idea that the wealthiest 1% of Americans has accumulated too much wealth and power. Do you agree or disagree with this idea?

Agree………………………………………………………58%

Disagree ………………………………………………….33%

Not sure ……………………………………………………9%

To read the entire poll, as well as the crosstabs, click here.

NC Policy Watch is happy to announce the release of the May 2011 edition of its Carolina Issues Poll. Each month, the staff of NC Policy Watch develops a series of questions on timely issues impacting state policy debates that are then vetted and posed to registered voters by the nationally recognized, Raleigh-based polling firm Public Policy Polling.

This month’s poll quizzed nearly 800 voters on May 12, 13 and 14 regarding a wide variety of current issues, including:

- The state budget shortfall and the competing strategies for closing it,
- Proposed cuts to universities,
- The ongoing effort by the General Assembly to hold up unemployment benefits to eligible workers,
- Gun laws, and
- The inclusion of insurance companies on the “exchange” that will oversee the new marketplace established by federal health reform.

Here are the results:

In general, voters continue to voice great skepticism at the “cuts-only” approach favored by legislative leaders for addressing the state budget shortfall.

Q1 Because of the national recession, the state faces a revenue shortfall reaching $3.7 billion. Without additional revenue, addressing the shortfall will mean a cuts-only approach that requires deeper cuts than would otherwise be necessary to schools, public safety, healthcare, and other services. Would you favor an approach that makes cuts to services only, raises revenues only or combines cuts and spending with new revenues?

Favor cuts only……………………………………………………31%

Favor raising revenue only……………………………………12%

Favor combination of cuts and revenue increases…….46%

Not sure ……………………………………………………………..12%

Q2 Which one of the following two approaches do you feel is the better way to use state dollars to strengthen North Carolina’s economy: 1) Invest in education, transportation, and public safety to improve communities and give businesses the tools to expand and create jobs or 2) Reduce taxes for businesses and upper income households to increase corporate profits and jobs?

Favor investing in education, transportation, and public safety to help the economy…..58%

Favor reducing taxes on upper income households to increase profits and jobs………….32%

Not sure ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 10%    
Voters were also skeptical about cuts to higher education and the possibility of new tuition hikes.  

Q3 The North Carolina House of Representatives has proposed a state budget that cuts investments in our state university system by more than 15%. Do you think this is likely to harm the quality of the education provided to the 220,000 students served by the system?

A 15% cut will harm the quality of education…….48%

It will not……………………………………………………….42%

Not sure ………………………………………………………..10%

Q4 One of the reasons the budget proposed by the House of Representatives has less money to spend is because it would allow the state sales tax rate to fall by one percent and a small surcharge on the income taxes paid by wealthy households to expire. Given the choice of reducing these taxes and reducing university investments, which would you prefer?

Prefer reducing these tax rates and reducing university investments……………34%

Prefer keeping current tax rates and keeping university cuts to a minimum….54%

Not sure ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 12%

Q5 For an in-state resident, the cost of attending the University of North Carolina can range as high as $20,000 per year on some campuses. Do you think that raising tuition above current levels is a good option to provide more funding for higher education?

Good idea ……………………………………………….24%

Bad idea…………………………………………………..65%

Not sure …………………………………………………..11%
Voters continue to strongly reject the approach of legislative leaders to link the extension of expired unemployment insurance benefits to the 2012 state budget.

Q6 For the past month, state legislative leaders have told Governor Perdue that they will not consider a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to 37,000 workers whose benefits have expired unless she agrees to their demands for overall state spending for 2012. Do you think the legislature should go ahead and vote on the bill to extend benefits and keep the issue separate from the budget debate?

Yes………………………………………………………… 52%

No …………………………………………………………. 31%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 17%

Four other initiatives of the conservative General Assembly also receive low marks: the move to reduce early voting, the time and attention devoted to social issues like guns and abortion, the proposal to expand concealed carry of weapons into parks and restaurants and the bill to place insurance companies on the “exchange” that will oversee the new marketplace established by federal health reform.

Q7 State legislators are currently considering a proposal that would reduce the amount of time given to North Carolinians to participate in early voting by seven days. Do you think this is a good idea?

Support…………………………………………………..38%

Oppose……………………………………………………49%

Not sure.………………………………………………….13%

Q8 Since they took office in January, state legislators have devoted a great deal of time to debating controversial social issues like abortion and concealed weapons. Do you think this is a good use of their time in Raleigh?

Yes…………………………………………………………24%

No.…………………………………………………………62%

Not sure.…………………………………………………14%

Q9 State lawmakers are considering a proposal to make it lawful for North Carolinians to carry concealed handguns into restaurants and public parks. Do you favor this change?

Yes…………………………………………………………36%

No …………………………………………………………54%

Not sure.…………………………………………………11%

Q10 State legislators are currently debating a proposal that would give health insurance companies several seats on a new board that will help regulate the health care market created by federal health reform. Supporters say the companies will bring important expertise. Consumer advocates say the insurance companies should be kept off because they have a conflict of interest. Do you think this is a good idea?

Support…………………………………………………..22%

Oppose……………………………………………………69%

Not sure……………………………………………………9%  

To read the entire poll, as well as the crosstabs, click here.

NC Policy Watch is happy to announce the release of the April 2011 edition of its Carolina Issues Poll. Each month, the staff of NC Policy Watch develops a series of questions on timely issues impacting state policy debates that are then vetted and posed to registered voters by the nationally recognized, Raleigh-based polling firm Public Policy Polling.

This month’s poll quizzed nearly 800 voters on April 19 and 20 regarding a wide variety of current issues, including:

* The stalemate between the Governor and the General Assembly over the extension of unemployment benefits,
* Proposed budget cuts under consideration in the legislature,
* The state’s acceptance of federal high speed rail dollars,
* Whether community colleges should be required to help student access federal student loans,
* A proposal to raise interest rates on small consumer loans, and
* The issue of reintegrating ex-criminal offender into society.

Here are some of the results:

In general, voters are very supportive of extending unemployment insurance benefits to jobless North Carolina workers who have been laid off but continue to seek work and oppose efforts of Republican leaders to tie the extension to future state budget cuts.

Q1 Do you support or oppose extending unemployment benefits for another 20 weeks to North Carolinians who have been laid off, provided they continue seeking work?

Support ………………………………………………….. 65%

Oppose ………………………………………………….. 32%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%

Q2 Last week, leaders in the General Assembly advanced a bill to extend unemployment benefits, but attached a condition that would also require the Governor to agree to cut the overall state budget by 13% in 2012. Do you think lawmakers should have had an opportunity to vote on the unemployment extension by itself?

Yes………………………………………………………… 66%

No …………………………………………………………. 22%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%

Q3 Over the weekend, the Governor vetoed the bill that combined the unemployment extension with the 2012 budget cuts and asked lawmakers to send her a bill that deals only with the unemployment issue. Do you agree with the Governor’s decision to keep the matters separate?

Yes………………………………………………………… 65%

No …………………………………………………………. 25%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Voters also remain very skeptical of proposed budget cuts under consideration at the General Assembly and, when given the choice, expressed a preference for leaving taxes at current rates rather than reducing core services.

Q4 The current budget proposal from legislative leaders would cut taxes from their current levels and includes unprecedented cuts to a number of public services. I’m going to read you a list of specific cuts that have been proposed and ask you to compare them to the option of leaving taxes at current levels: Given the choices of cutting taxes and eliminating 8,200 teachers’ assistants positions in grades two and three or leaving taxes at current levels and keeping the teachers’ assistants, which would you prefer?

Prefer cutting taxes and eliminating 8,200 teachers’ assistants positions in grades 2 and 3 …………………………………………………………….29%

Prefer leaving taxes at current levels and keeping the teachers’ assistants…………………66%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 4%

Q5 Given the choices of cutting taxes and eliminating 3,200 jobs in the university system or leaving taxes at current levels and keeping the jobs in the university system, which would you prefer?

Prefer cutting taxes and eliminating 3,200 jobs in the university system ………………………38%

Prefer leaving taxes at current levels and keeping the jobs in the university system……..57%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 5%

Q6 Given the choices of cutting taxes and cutting the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources by 22% or leaving taxes at current levels and keeping the Department intact, which would you prefer?

Prefer cutting taxes and cutting the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources by 22%……………………………………46%

Prefer leaving taxes at current levels and keeping the department intact…………………….48%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 6%

On the matter of high-speed rail, a plurality of voters prefers to accept federal dollars rather than turn them down.

Q7 Some state legislators want North Carolina to turn down more than $400 million in federal funds to build high-speed rail service in the state: do you agree with them that North Carolina should reject the money, or do you think that North Carolina should accept the money from the federal government?

NC should reject $400 million in federal funds for high speed rail service ……………………….43%

NC should accept the money…………………….. 47%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

On another matter involving federal dollars, voters strongly support the position taken in Governor Perdue’s veto of a bill that would repeal a law that requires all community colleges in the state to help their students access low-cost federal loans.

Q8 Do you think all community college students should have access to low cost federal student loans or should individual community colleges be allowed to refuse to offer such loans?

All community college students should have access to low cost federal student loans…….61%

Individual community colleges should be allowed to refuse to offer federal loans ………..30%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Perhaps the strongest and clearest result came on the question of consumer lending legislation, in which a vast majority of voters opposed the idea of raising interest rates.

Q9 North Carolina law currently limits the annual interest rate on consumer loans offered by loan companies to around 54%. The companies say they need higher rates to loan to people with poor credit. Do you think lawmakers should approve a bill requested by the companies to allow them to charge an annual interest rate of around 90%?

Lawmakers should raise permissible rates…………7%

Rates should not be raised…………………………….. 84%

Not sure ………………………………………………………. 9%

Finally, on another matter of great interest in the current policy environment in which lawmakers are looking for ways to reduce recidivism in the criminal justice system, voters expressed support for government efforts to eliminate roadblocks to employment for ex-criminal offenders seeking a fresh start in life.

Q10 Do you think that state and local governments should remove roadblocks to employment for ex-criminal offenders who have completed their sentence and are seeking a fresh start in life?

Lawmakers should remove roadblocks……….. 46%

The y should not remove roadblocks …………… 32%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%

To read the entire poll, as well as the crosstabs, click here.

NC Policy Watch is happy to announce the return of its Carolina Issues Polls. Each month, the staff of NC Policy Watch will work with nationally recognized, Raleigh-based polling firm, Public Policy Polling to sample public opinion on timely issues impacting state policy debates.

This month, the issue is public education and, in particular, charter schools. From March 21 to 23, PPP surveyed nearly 700 registered voters throughout North Carolina regarding their attitudes on some of the high-profile issues currently before the General Assembly – including charter schools, the requirements placed upon them, and governance issues. The poll also gauged the opinions of voters on proposed cuts to education, preservation of current state taxes and the participation of non-public school students on public school athletic teams.

Here are some of the results:

Generally, voters have a favorable impression of charter schools. Moreover, half of those surveyed were not concerned about higher levels of racial segregation in charters.

Q1 Do you have a generally favorable or unfavorable impression of charter schools?

Favorable…………..54%

Unfavorable………..25%

Not sure ……………. 21%

Q2 Do you think it should or should not be a concern if evidence shows that charter schools tend to be more racially segregated than traditional public schools?

Should be a concern…………………………………40%

Should not……………………………………………….50%

Not sure ………………………………………………….10%

On the other hand, voters are also very skeptical of exempting charters from many of the requirements applied to traditional public schools, like the provision of free lunches and transportation, the use of certified teachers and oversight by the state Board of Education.

Q3 As public schools that receive public dollars, do you think that charters should or should not be required to provide free and reduced price lunches like traditional public schools?

They should be required to provide free and reduced price lunches……………………………….52%

They should not be required to…………………..38%

Not sure ………………………………………………….10%

Q4 Do you think that charters should or should not be required to provide transportation to all students who need it like traditional public schools?

They should be required to provide transportation to all students………………………48%

They should not be required to…………………..45%

Not sure ………………………………………………….7%

Q5 Do you think that charters should or should not be required to hire only state certified teachers, principals and administrators like traditional public schools?

They should be required to hire only state certified teachers, principals, and administrators………………………..64%

They should not be required to…………………..28%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Q6 Do you think North Carolina’s state-funded charters should be governed by the state Board of Education, like all other public schools, or by a separate board that only oversees charters?

Charters should be governed by the state Board of Education…………………………………..55%

They should be governed by a separate board that only oversees charters……………….40%

Not sure ………………………………………………….6%

Voters are also opposed to two other proposals advanced by conservative lawmakers in the General Assembly – allowing home and private school students to participate in public school interscholastic sports and the establishment of a state-funded voucher program for parents who send their children to private schools.

Q7 Do you think that public schools should or should not be required to permit children who are home schooled or who attend private schools to participate on their interscholastic sports teams?

Public schools should be required to permit home schooled or private school attending children to play on their sports teams………….39%

They should not be required to …………………..53%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Q8 Do you support or oppose the idea of providing taxpayer-funded vouchers or tax credits to parents who wish to send their children to private or religious schools?

Support …………………………………………………..39%

Oppose …………………………………………………..56%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 5%

Finally, voters expressed strong opposition to plans of state legislative leaders to cut K-12 and early childhood education spending and a three-to-one preference for keeping state taxes at current levels rather than cutting education.

Q9 Would you support or oppose keeping state taxes at current levels in order to avoid cuts to public education?

Support …………………………………………………..66%

Oppose …………………………………………………..22%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%

Q10 Would you support or oppose laying off some public school teachers and teacher assistants in order to help close the state budget shortfall?

Support …………………………………………………..32%

Oppose …………………………………………………..62%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 5%

Q11 Would you support or oppose keeping state taxes at current levels in order to avoid cuts to early childhood programs like Smart Start and More at Four?

Support …………………………………………………..55%

Oppose …………………………………………………..33%

Not sure ………………………………………………….12%

To read the entire poll, as well as the crosstabs, click here.

In the latest survey, N.C. Policy Watch sought to gauge voter attitudes on multiple issues related to state transportation policy – in particular issues related to management of North Carolina’s rapid growth. The survey also included two questions concerning the national debate over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The Carolina Issues Poll was conducted by the private firm of Public Policy Polling. 532 North Carolina voters were surveyed on October 8. The survey has a margin of error of ± 4.2%. Complete results can be found by clicking below. These include exact question wording and “crosstabs” broken down by gender, party affiliation, race, and age.

Click here for the poll results.

Press Release 

In the latest survey, N.C. Policy Watch sought to gauge voter attitudes on several state tax policy issues, including a plan by state Senate leaders to cut income taxes on the wealthiest North Carolinians, and the question of extending the quarter cent sales tax hike first adopted in 2001.

The poll also gauged voter attitudes on other state tax issues including an earned income tax credit and proposals to tax real estate transfers and realtor fees, as well as the issue of public subsidies for private colleges and universities.

 A detailed discussion of the poll results is in this week’s Weekly Briefing.

The Carolina Issues Poll was conducted by the private firm of Public Policy Polling. 504 North Carolina voters were surveyed on July 5. The survey has a margin of error of ± 4.3%. Complete results can be found by clicking below. These include exact question wording and “crosstabs” broken down by gender, party affiliation, race, and age.

Click here for the poll results.

Click here for the press release.

For this inaugural poll, NC Policy Watch targeted two broad topics of real and immediate relevance to the state policy debates: mental health and affordable housing. The poll also looked at the interrelation between mental health and the death penalty. A detailed discussion of the poll results is in this week’s Weekly Briefing.

The Carolina Issues Poll was conducted by the private firm of Public Policy Polling. 574 North Carolina voters were surveyed on March 29 and 30. The survey has a margin of error of ± 4.1%. Complete results are attached and can be found here. These include exact question wording and “crosstabs” broken down by gender, party affiliation, race, and age.

Click here for the poll results.

Click here for the press release.

By Rob Schofield

Quick Take:

• NC Policy Watch, North Carolina’s leading provider of commentary and analysis on state public policy issues, has added yet another feature to its fast growing menu of products and services – the “Carolina Issues Poll.”
• In the poll’s inaugural edition, Policy Watch sought to gauge the opinion of North Carolina registered voters on two timely and important policy topics: mental health and affordable housing.
• Results from the poll show that North Carolinians are broadly supportive of new publicly funded efforts to aid the mentally ill, oppose executing mentally ill persons convicted of murder and support more public efforts to ease the state’s affordable housing and foreclosure crises.

Public opinion polls are an indispensable component of modern day government policymaking. Unfortunately, too many polls confine themselves to a narrow band of “safe” issues and avoid questions that might lead policymakers to draw new and unconventional conclusions about voter attitudes and opinions. The Carolina Issues Poll is a new (and soon to be regular) voter survey conducted by NC Policy Watch that seeks to alter this pattern by asking new and different questions on topics of importance to North Carolinians and their elected officials.

For the inaugural edition of the Carolina Issues Poll, NC Policy Watch targeted two broad topics of real and immediate relevance to the state policy debates: mental health and affordable housing. Though timely and of obvious importance, public debate surrounding both of these topics has suffered in recent years because of the “conventional wisdom” that each was “settled” in the public mind – that is, the general perception seemed to be that voters had little or no interest in public solutions and were content to leave these difficult challenges to private actors. The poll also looked at the interrelation between mental health and the death penalty. North Carolina, of course, executes more people than only a handful of states and nations and is widely accepted to be a “pro-death penalty” state.

Examining the Results

The results from the new poll cast doubt upon much of the conventional wisdom that surrounds these issues.

Mental Health

For many years, the policy trend in the area of mental health has been to de-emphasize public solutions. In general, policymakers have moved to privatize what were once publicly provided services and resisted efforts to impose new mandates for expanded private insurance coverage. According to the new poll results, however, these policies may be at odds with voter attitudes.

When asked if they supported a new state mandate that would require health insurance companies to cover the treatment of mental illness just like any other illness (a requirement commonly referred to as “mental health parity”), 79% said “yes” and only 14% said “no.” Voters were even roughly divided over the question of mandating insurance company coverage for persons with substance abuse problems. Here nearly two in five (38%) said “yes”, 44% said “no,” and 18% said they “don’t know.”

The support for public intervention was also strong when it comes to the provision of adequate public funding for housing mentally ill persons. According to the poll, more than two-thirds of voters (68%) said they favor additional taxpayer-provided funding to help assure that mentally ill persons are not housed with older, non-mentally ill persons as has been a common practice due to shortages of beds.

The disconnect between common wisdom and voter attitudes was further illustrated when the poll asked about the state’s application of the death penalty to mentally ill and disabled persons. As recently as last year, North Carolina was preparing to execute Guy LeGrande, a man who had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death despite his demonstrably unstable and disturbed personality. When asked in the new poll if they supported use of the death penalty against murderers who had a severe mental illness or disability at the time of the commission of the crime, voters disapproved by a wide margin – 52% to 30%. Eighteen percent said they didn’t know.

Housing Issues

As with mental health, policymakers have long settled for a laissez faire approach toward the challenges the state faces in adequately housing its citizens. This hesitance to supplement the private housing market has been evident both in the level of direct state funding for the construction of affordable housing for households of modest incomes and in the unwillingness of policymakers to intervene on behalf of middle class families in the state’s mushrooming home foreclosure crisis. This year, Governor Easley’s 2007-’08 budget proposes what amounts to a 50% cut in support for the state’s award winning Housing Trust Fund and only a tiny appropriation for the Home Protection Pilot Program – the state’s only pot of money earmarked specifically for aiding families facing foreclosure.

As with mental health, however, public attitudes appear to be ahead of public policies. Respondents to the Carolina Issues Poll voiced strong support for increased public expenditures. For the Housing Trust Fund, voters were in favor of increased state appropriations by roughly a three to two margin (53% “yes” to 37% “no,” with 10% in the “don’t know” category. Almost identical numbers (54% in favor, 36% against) supported increased appropriations for the Home Protection Pilot Program, which provides loans to stave off home mortgage foreclosures.

Policy Implications

The implications of these poll results for the 2007 session of the North Carolina General Assembly could be significant. Advocates for the highlighted issues and causes are certain make use of the results in support of legislative initiatives. These include:

Mental Health Parity – Senators Bob Atwater, Janet Cowell, Linda Garrou and Malcolm Graham are co-sponsoring legislation this session that would require health insurers to provide this kind of coverage. In addition to the results highlighted in the Carolina Issues Poll, the sponsors seem sure to point out that 37 states already have a similar law on the books.     

Mental Health Reform – As described on several occasions in the NC Policy Watch feature, the Fitzsimon File, North Carolina’s mental health system is broken and badly in need of an overhaul. Despite the repeated documentation of large and unmet needs that include inadequate institutional and community-based housing and other facilities, over-worked caseworkers, and lack of overall vision and commitment, North Carolina continues to muddle along with little apparent commitment significant change. Governor Easley’s proposed budget offers little, if anything, in the way of the kind of resources that will be necessary for real reform.

The Death Penalty – As with mental health parity, lawmakers have introduced specific legislation that would address the concerns of poll respondents about the execution of mentally disabled persons. According to the companion bills, a defendant would have the burden of proving to the jury that he or she suffered from a severe mental disability at the time of the commission of the crime. At present, neither bill has been heard in committee.

Affordable Housing and Foreclosures – Despite the relatively small proposed appropriations for the state Housing Trust Fund and the Home Protection Pilot Program contained in the Governor’s budget, advocates remain optimistic that legislative budget makers will find additional funds. Given the strong and broad-based support enjoyed by the Trust Fund and the state’s mushrooming foreclosure problem as documented in a recent Charlotte Observer series, it seems possible that the new polling data could provide added impetus to successful efforts.

Poll Details

The Carolina Issues Poll was conducted by the private firm of Public Policy Polling. 574 North Carolina voters were surveyed on March 29 and 30. The survey has a margin of error of ± 4.1%. Complete results are attached and can be found here. These include exact question wording and “crosstabs” broken down by gender, party affiliation, race, and age. ~

Click here for the poll results.

Click here for the press release.