A recent poll commissioned by the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) shows North Carolina voters held deep concerns over pocketbook economic issues and support for progressive policy solutions even before the full impact of COVID-19 was felt. The poll showed that North Carolinians believe that the government should play a constructive role in people’s economic lives.
The Role of Government in the Top Issues Facing North Carolina
When asked if the state government should play a role in some of the top issues facing working families, voters overwhelmingly supported government engagement. Voters’ top priorities include:
- Access to K-12 public education (86%);
- Equal pay for equal work regardless of race (84%);
- Access to healthcare for those struggling to make ends meet (80%);
- Access to food for those struggling to make ends meet (79%); and
- Affordable healthcare (77%).
Voters Support Action on Economic Policies
North Carolinians believe that a job should allow workers to earn a wage to support a family (82%), provide a steady consistent income (81%) and allow access to affordable health insurance (78%). North Carolinians overwhelmingly support these policies that help working families:
- Create a paid family and medical leave insurance program, funded through shared contributions between employers and employees (85%); and
- Require all North Carolina employers to provide a minimum amount of earned, paid sick days for workers (88%).
These results showed that even before the economic dislocation from the current crisis, North Carolinians wanted economic policies to make life easier for families. Now more than ever, those policies are vitally important.
Click here to see the poll memo and here for the presentation.
April Update
In late April, SiX tested the same issues again to see whether the COVID-19 crisis has changed support for those policies. These recent results show that NC voters continue to strongly support progressive policies. The vast majority of voters believe that the government should have a role in enacting progressive policy changes that would provide economic fairness, more access to affordable health care, and investments in public education. More information here.