HIGH POINT, N.C., April 3, 2012 – A new HPU Poll finds that there has been little change in North Carolinians’ opinions of President Barack Obama and his GOP opponents throughout the last few months as support for both parties remains almost equally divided. Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress also receive almost equal support. The president’s job approval rating still hovers in the low 40s, while GOP candidates are still in a tight race amongst themselves with Mitt Romney receiving slightly more support.
Presidential race questions – Registered Voters
If the election for President of the United States were held today, would you be voting for Barack Obama or his Republican opponent?
Republican opponent – 47 percent
Barack Obama – 42 percent
(Undecided/don’t know/refused) – 11 percent
(For registered voters, n = 435, margin of sampling error is approximately 5 percent
Congressional generic ballot questions – Registered Voters
If the elections for U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, which party’s candidate would you vote for in your congressional district – the Democratic Party’s candidate or the Republican Party’s candidate?
Democratic candidate – 42 percent
Republican candidate – 40 percent
(Don’t know/refused) – 17 percent
(For registered voters, n = 435, margin of sampling error is approximately 5 percent
Presidential Job approval:
Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
Approve – 44 percent
Disapprove – 49 percent
(Don’t know/refuse) – 8 percent
(For all adults, n = 507, margin of sampling error is approximately 4.4 percent)
“We often expect some rapid changes during an election year. But we asked the same questions two months ago and got almost exactly the same responses. President Obama faces a challenging race here in North Carolina, and the split in the congressional vote indicates that this is a divided state,” said HPU Poll director Martin Kifer. “We are waiting to see significant movement one way or the other that will signal a growing advantage for the Republicans or Democrats in these closely watched elections.”
The February HPU Poll found President Obama receiving 42 percent of the presidential vote among registered voters against an unnamed opponent who received 47 percent as well as a congressional ballot on which the Democratic candidate received 42 percent of the vote among registered voters compared to 40 percent for the Republican. Among all adults in North Carolina, President Obama’s job approval rating was 44 percent with 47 percent disapproving.
Republican Primary for President – Registered Voters
If the Republican presidential primary were held today, would you vote for Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, or Rick Santorum (responses rotated)?
Mitt Romney – 31 percent
Rick Santorum – 25 percent
Ron Paul – 15 percent
Newt Gingrich – 12 percent
(Undecided/don’t know/refused) – 18 percent
(Asked of registered voters who identify with the Republican Party or are independent/unaffiliated, excluding respondents who said they would not vote in the Republican Primary on May 8th, n = 239, margin of sampling error is approximately 6.4 percent)
The High Point University Survey Research Center fielded the survey from March 19-22 and March 24-29. The responses came from 507 adults with landline and cellular telephones in North Carolina selected by a Random Digit Dial (RDD) method giving the survey a margin of sampling error of approximately 4.4 percentage points. For smaller subsamples the margin of sampling error is larger. In addition to sampling error, factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional error into the findings of opinion polls.
Further results and methodological details from the survey and can be found at the Survey Research Center website, http://src.highpoint.edu/, or from Dr. Martin Kifer, the center’s director, at [email protected] or 336-841-9333.
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At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.℠ HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report at No. 3 among Regional Colleges in the South. Parade Magazine lists HPU in the top 25 private schools in the nation. HPU was selected in the 2010-2011 list of “Colleges of Distinction,” as well as one of the top green schools in the country by the Sierra Club. The university offers 44 undergraduate majors, 40 undergraduate minors and 10 graduate degree programs. It is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at highpoint.edu.
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Pam Haynes
Communication Specialist
336-841-9055
[email protected]