Meredith Poll Gauges Voter Opinions on National and State Policy Ideas, Approval of Political Leaders

A Meredith Poll conducted in early February gauged North Carolina voters’ opinions on policy ideas advanced by President Donald Trump, political issues in North Carolina, and voter approval of elected officials.

View the full report

In a survey that was in the field from February 3-10, 2025, voters were polled on their approval or disapproval of policy ideas related to Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, replacing civil servants with political appointees, drilling on federal lands, and closing the Department of Education. On a state level, they were asked about legalizing medical marijuana and casino gambling on non-Native lands. They were also asked to weigh in on the prospect of federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe.

Other topics include approval of the president and governor early in their terms. Respondents were also asked to describe their personal financial situation. 

Almost three-quarters of North Carolinians consider their current financial situation to be fair or poor (71%) with only 28 percent considering their financial situation to be excellent or good. Most North Carolinians, however, are optimistic about their financial situations one year from now with almost two-thirds responding that their finances will improve “a lot” or “some” and only nineteen percent thinking their situation will get worse.

Across demographic groups, there is a great deal of consistency in terms of the perception of their current financial situation, as well as optimism for future improvement. The only group with a significantly different perception of their current financial situation was those with less than a high school diploma–only 4.3 percent considered their situation to be excellent or good. Among those who were optimistic about their financial futures, Republicans (80.5%) were more likely to say their financial situation would improve a great deal or some more so than Democratic (58.7%) or unaffiliated (57.3%) respondents.

“The 2024 elections were really about how people felt about their financial situations. Despite Democrats, like Kamala Harris, touting the strength of the U.S. economy, people did not feel it,” said Meredith Poll Director David McLennan. “As President Trump’s policies take shape in the coming months, it will be interesting to track the feelings of North Carolinians about their financial futures.”

For the poll results and more details, view the full report.

Methodology
The Meredith Poll surveyed North Carolina likely voters. The online sample – from Qualtrics – used a quota based on the U.S. Census estimates of the population of North Carolina and current data registered voters in North Carolina. After the survey was completed, we weighted the survey for gender, party affiliation, geographic location, race and ethnicity, and education so that our sample most closely resembles North Carolina. The sample had 703 respondents, giving a confidence interval of +/- 3.75%. The survey was in the field February 3-10, 2025.

About Meredith Poll
The Meredith Poll asks North Carolinians their opinions on a variety of social and political public issues. It is housed in the Department of History, Political Science, and International Studies at Meredith College, one of the largest women’s colleges in the Southeast. The Meredith Poll was launched in the spring of 2015 as part of Meredith’s commitment to civic engagement.