HIGH POINT, N.C., March 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The High Point University Poll finds that more North Carolina voters identify the economy (21 percent) as the most important problem facing the U.S. and education (21 percent) as the most important problem facing the state.
At the national level, other concerns were national security (20 percent), government ineffectiveness (15 percent) and health care (14 percent). In North Carolina, the other top issues included health care (17 percent), the economy (16 percent) and taxes (12 percent).
When asked how their family is financially now compared to year ago, 49 percent say they are in the same place, 33 percent say they are worse off and 17 percent say they are better off.
"The economy and education are perennial national and state issues, and this poll is no different," says Brian McDonald, adjunct professor and assistant director of the HPU Poll. "The fact that almost three-quarters of respondents thought that they are not better off than a year ago speaks to lack of satisfaction people have with the current economy."
Methodology: The High Point University Survey Research Center contracted SurveyUSA to interview 1,600 state of North Carolina registered voters March 9 and March 10, 2016, using landline respondents drawn from a Registration Based Sample (aka Voter List Sample) purchased from Aristotle in Washington, D.C. and a sample of other likely voters who responded on their smartphones, laptops, tablets, or other electronic devices. To be included in the sample, a voter who had registered prior to 2008 must have voted in the 2008 and 2012 presidential primaries as well as the 2014 general election; respondents registered between 2008 and 2012 voted in the 2012 presidential primary and 2014 general election; respondents who had registered between 2012 and 2014 voted in the 2014 primary or the 2014 general election; and the remainder of the sample registered between 2014 and 2016. Of the 1,576 likely November voters, 22 percent were determined to have already voted in person or by absentee ballot in the March 15, 2016 primary election. All likely voters also responded that they would certainly or probably vote in the Democratic or Republican primary. Other respondents were not considered likely primary voters. Respondents reachable on a home telephone (78 percent of likely November voters) were interviewed on their home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents not reachable on a home telephone (22 percent of likely November voters), were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, laptop, tablet, or other electronic device. Data are weighted toward the voter file demographic proportions for age and gender. Details from this survey are available at http://bit.ly/1XikNdW.
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