Economy key to Trump approval in NC, but some policies lack widespread backing, poll shows

President Donald Trump is enjoying his highest approval rating in North Carolina since 2018, but voters are generally mixed on his performance overall, according to a new poll from Meredith College that shows stark partisan differences in a state that is closely divided politically.

About 47% of North Carolina voters approved of his performance so far in his second term, up from the mid-40s since 2018, including the period leading up to the November election. But 49% of respondents said they disapproved of his performance, the poll showed.

The online poll of 703 people, conducted between Feb. 3 and Feb. 10, has a credibility interval of 3.75 percentage points. A credibility interval is similar to margin of error but takes into account more factors and is considered by some pollsters to be a more accurate measurement of statistical certainty.

Trump won North Carolina in November, beating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris by about 3 percentage points in the presidential election. Opinions over his performance and proposals — ranging from making Canada the 51st state to taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal — ran largely along partisan lines in this battleground state, where unaffiliated voters make up the largest voting bloc, followed closely by Democrats and Republicans, respectively. Three-quarters of Democrats disapprove of Trump’s performance so far, while 91% of Republicans approve.

Much of his support was rooted in voters’ financial outlook — a key factor in the presidential election, according to David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith and the director of the poll.

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While 71% of North Carolinians described their current financial situation as fair or poor, most respondents expressed optimism about their financial future under Trump. Almost two-thirds expect their finances to improve a year from now and 19% expect their financial situations to worsen, the poll said. Optimism was far greater for Republicans: About 81% of Republicans were more likely to say their financial situation would improve, compared with 59% of Democrats and 57% of unaffiliated voters.

Leading up to the November election, voters didn’t connect with efforts by Democrats to tout a strong economy, McLennan said. “As [Trump’s] policies take shape in the coming months, it will be interesting to track the feelings of North Carolinians about their financial futures,” he said in a report accompanying the poll results.

Voters split on policies

The Meredith Poll also tracked North Carolina voters’ sentiment on a variety of policy proposals Trump has made so far during his second term. Among them:

Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education: Trump has long expressed a desire to dismantle the federal agency that distributes public education dollars to schools across the nation. The idea is opposed by 63% of voters, while 30% of voters support it. The strongest support came from the state’s most conservative voters. Respondents identifying as “very conservative” were the only group to show majority support. Less than one-fifth (16%) of Democrats support the idea. And about 47% of all Republicans support it.

“The idea of closing the Department of Education has been around since the Reagan administration, but President Trump is the first president to take real action on this plan — one that is highly unpopular with most North Carolinians,” McLennan said. “This is the kind of issue that may be better as a campaign talking point than an actual action when it comes to getting public support.”

Territorial expansion: North Carolina voters also showed mixed support for some of Trump’s proposals or statements that focus on expanding U.S. borders:

• Panama Canal: A plurality of respondents (48%) opposed the idea of using economic means to retake control of the canal, while only 32% supported it. And 24% support using military action, compared with 59% who opposed it. Opposition and support for those approaches were largely along partisan lines. On the economic approach, for instance, about 61% of Republicans supported the idea and about 11% of Democrats supported it, while about 27% of unaffiliated voters expressed support.
• Greenland: Trump’s proposal to acquire Greenland was less popular than the idea of retaking control of the Panama Canal, the poll indicated. About 20% of respondents support the prospect of using economic means such as tariffs to gain control over Greenland, and 14% would support using the military. But most respondents (60%) oppose the use of economic means, and 69% oppose the use of military action.
• Canada as 51st state: Trump has made statements expressing a desire to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, but the concept doesn’t appear to be gaining traction with North Carolina voters. Fewer than one-third (29%) support the idea and 58% oppose it, the poll shows. Among Republican voters, only 40% think it’s a good idea. “It is clear that most North Carolinians would rather have [Trump] turn his attention elsewhere,” McLennan said. For comparison, a plurality (48%) of voters supported granting statehood to Puerto Rico, currently a U.S. territory, while 35% were against the idea.

Drilling on federal lands: Trump has long expressed support for the expansion of energy exploration and production in the U.S. on federal lands. He has advanced that promise through executive orders. The concept had support from 48% of North Carolina voters, while 35% opposed it. Slightly more than one-quarter of Democratic respondents expressed support, while 77% of Republican respondents backed the approach.

Political appointees: Trump's contention that longtime federal bureaucrats have worked against the interests of his administration has led to the appointments of loyal political allies to key posts. The replacement of civil servants with political appointees is unpopular with most North Carolinians, the poll shows. About 59% oppose the approach, while 30% support it. The most support came from conservative respondents. “The rhetoric about the ‘deep state’ has clearly affected conservative audiences,” McLennan said.

Political division

Poll respondents said the nation has become more politically divided in recent years. Nearly four out of five said the country is more politically divided than in the past, while 15% said divisions are about the same as ever. Only 5% said the nation is less politically divided than before.

Most voters don’t expect relations to improve anytime soon. Forty-five percent expect the divide to become even deeper by 2030, while 30% think it’ll stay about the same and only 16% think the nation will become less polarized.

“We've seen this in U.S. history: periods of time where we've been very polarized,” McLennan said, adding: “But we've also swung back the other way.”

These days, “It just doesn't appear like people think the pendulums can swing back,” he said.

WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie contributed to this report.