Source: Brian Balfour, NC CIVITAS, 6/1/11

As the General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue spar over a proposed budget, a new Civitas Institute poll reveals North Carolina voters trust the state Legislature more to handle several issues rather than Perdue.
Sixty percent of voters said they trust the Legislature more to cut state spending while 26 percent trust Perdue.  Six percent of voters said they trust neither and 5 percent said they do not know.  Analyzing party registration, voters from all parties trust the Legislature more on this issue: Republicans (75 percent), Unaffiliated (61 percent), and Democrats (50 percent).

Trust in the Legislature increases to a 64 percent – 21 percent margin on who voters trust more to keep state taxes low.  On the issue of encouraging job creation in the state, 48 percent of voters said they trust the Legislature more compared to 37 percent who said they trust Perdue.  Voters self-identified as conservative (58 percent) and moderate (47 percent) both trust the Legislature most to encourage job creation, while liberals trust Perdue by a 55 percent – 33 percent margin.

“Voters sent a strong message last fall when they elected new leadership in Raleigh. That message was one of greater fiscal restraint and no new taxes. Voters still trust that new leadership to carry through with their promises of greater fiscal responsibility,” said Civitas Institute policy analyst Brian Balfour.

Voters again side with the state Legislature on who can best handle fighting corruption in state government, with 49 percent favoring the Legislature compared to 33 percent who said they trust Perdue more.

The Civitas Poll is the only regular live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.  For more information on Civitas polling see www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.

Full Text of Question:
“Now I am going to read you a series of issues. Please tell me who you trust more – the state Legislature or Governor Perdue – to handle each of the following issues.”

Cutting State Spending – Legislature (60 percent) Perdue (26 percent)
Keeping State Taxes Low – Legislature (64 percent) Perdue (21 percent)
Encouraging Job Creation - Legislature (48 percent) Perdue (37 percent)
Fighting Corruption in State Government - Legislature (49 percent) Perdue (33 percent)

This poll of 600 registered general election voters in North Carolina was conducted May 10-11, 2011 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ.  All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina.  For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote 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 two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008.