Raleigh, N.C. – Over half of North Carolina’s unaffiliated voters support drilling for oil off the state’s coast, according to a new National Research Inc. poll released today by the Civitas Institute.
According to the live caller poll of 400 unaffiliated likely voters, 51 percent said they support drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of North Carolina. Thirty-eight percent of voters said they oppose drilling, and 10 percent said they do not know or have no opinion.
This percentage of support mirrors a May 2010 Civitas poll which found that of all statewide voters, 56 percent support drilling for oil while 37 percent oppose it.
“Despite the oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf, voters remain supportive of drilling for oil and gas off the coast,” said Civitas Institute Senior Legislative Analyst Chris Hayes. “They understand that it would create jobs and spark economic growth across numerous job sectors.”
When looking at those who are most likely to vote in 2010, the margin of support for offshore drilling increases to 54 percent support-36 percent oppose. In addition, unaffiliated voters who have lived in North Carolina over 33 years support drilling for oil and natural gas by a 62 percent-26 percent margin.
“It’s clear that voters recognize that oil exploration off the coast would lead to lower energy and transportation costs for all citizens,” added Hayes.
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina. For more information on Civitas polling see www.nccivitas.org/media/poll-results/.
Full text of question:
“Do you support or oppose drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of North Carolina?”
Total Support – 51%
Total Oppose – 38%
Strongly Support – 24%
Somewhat Support – 27%
Somewhat Oppose – 11%
Strongly Oppose – 27%
Don’t Know/No Opinion – 10%
Click here for full results and crosstabs.
This poll of 400 unaffiliated likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted August 16-18 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008. An additional screening question was asked to filter only those voters having some likelihood to vote in the upcoming 2010 election.
The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 400 interviews (registered unaffiliated voters) will be within +/- 4.9% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in two of the past four general elections or were newly registered to vote since 2008.
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