May 19, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Francis De Luca (919) 834-2099 francis.deluca@nccivitas.org
Civitas Polls Show Anti-Spending Beliefs Span a Decade
RALEIGH – The most recent Civitas Poll of North Carolina voters shows they continue to favor cutting spending rather than raising taxes to control state spending.
Asked the reason for tight budgets, an overwhelming majority of voters, 78 percent, said the cause was government spending that is too high.
When asked how for the best way to cut budgets, 57 percent said the state should cut government spending or stop spending on new programs. Only 8 percent favored raising taxes.
Another question was about the Taxpayer Protection Act. Such a law, which would limit the growth of state government spending, was supported by 64 percent of voters; only 19 percent opposed it.
As for which fiscal policy was best, 61 percent answered, “Tax cuts for all businesses in North Carolina.
The poll also compared today’s opinions of those from May 2005, when Civitas did its first poll. By similar margins, voters then also backed cutting spending and taxes.
The poll surveyed 600 registered North Carolina voters, 30 percent of whom were reached on cell phones. The survey was taken May 5-7, and had a margin of error of plus/minus 4 percent.
The May 2005 poll was taken by Tel Opinion Research. In it 1,000 voters were surveyed, and had a margin of error of plus/minus 3.1 percent.
Text of selected questions*:
North Carolina has recently been experiencing tight budgets. In your view, which was the single most important cause of the budget problems? †
| 2005 | 2015 | |
| 84% | 78% | Government spending is too high |
| 4% | 10% | Taxes are too low |
| 6% | 6% | Both |
| 5% | 5% | Don’t Know/Unsure |
| * | 1% | Refused |
† Wording in 2005: “North Carolina has recently been experiencing state budget deficits…”
Which policy for balancing North Carolina’s budget would you most support?
| 2005 | 2015 | |
| 52% | 47% | Cutting government spending to avoid tax increases |
| 5% | 8% | Raising taxes to preserve existing government programs |
| 22% | 28% | Mix small budget cuts with some tax increases |
| 15% | 10% | Stop spending on new programs |
| 7% | 6% | Don’t Know/Unsure |
| — | * | Refused |
The Taxpayer Protection Act would limit the growth of spending by North Carolina’s State government. State spending would be allowed to grow only enough to keep up with inflation and population growth. Do you support or oppose the Taxpayer Protection Act?
| 2005 | 2015 | |
| 72% | 64% | Support |
| 12% | 19% | Oppose |
| 16% | 17% | Don’t Know/Unsure |
| * | * | Refused |
Which of the following policies for promoting economic growth do you prefer:
| 2005 | 2015 | |
| 64% | 61% | Tax cuts for all businesses in North Carolina |
| 20% | 25% | Subsidies and tax breaks for a few target businesses |
| 16% | 12% | Don’t Know/Unsure |
| * | 1% | Refused |
*Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Crosstabs for 2015 poll here.
About the 2015 poll: This poll of 600 registered voters in North Carolina was conducted May 5-7, 2015 by National Research, Inc., of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered general election voters in North Carolina. Thirty percent of the respondents were cell phone-only users. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in at least one of the past two general elections (2012, 2014) or be newly registered to vote since November 1, 2014. The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.”
About the 2005 poll: The poll of 1,000 registered voters was conducted May 3-9, 2005 by Tel Opinion Research of Buffalo, New York. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina who had voted in the 2002 and 2004 general elections. The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 1,000 interviews (registered voters) will be within plus/minus 3.2 percent of the “true values.”
For more information on Civitas polling, see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.
The Civitas Institute – “North Carolina’s Conservative Voice” – is a policy institute based in Raleigh, N.C. More information is available at www.nccivitas.org, or contact Jim Tynen at (919) 834-2099 or james.tynen@nccivitas.org.
Leave a Comment