National Poll: HB2 Does Not Deter Americans From Moving to North Carolina

RALEIGH – A national poll of U.S. voters conducted  on behalf of  the Civitas Institute finds 69 percent would consider moving or would definitely move to North Carolina. The poll also found that 70 percent said HB2 either would not factor into their decision or makes them more likely to move to North Carolina.

The full text of the relevant questions is below:

North Carolina is one of America’s fastest growing states with nearly 300 people moving in every day. People who move there choose North Carolina for many reasons. Among them are:

1. Lower taxes: Taxes have been reduced every year since 2-13 and the state already has over a $500 million budget surplus for this year.
2. Climate and geography: temperate weather, and world-class coastline and mountains both within a single day drive of one another.
3. Abundant job opportunities: North Carolina added 50,000 net new jobs in 2016 and is consistently ranked as one of the 3 states for businesses to locate and for inbound residents.

If you had made the decision, or it had been made for you, to move out of your current state of residence and you had a choice for your new state of residence, how likely would you be to choose North Carolina on a scale of 1 to 10, where 0 = you would not ever consider moving to North Carolina, and 10 = you would choose North Carolina without hesitation, on a scale of 0 to 10, how likely would you be to move to North Carolina?

Total 1000
WOULD CHOOSE                     35.1
10 – Definitely Choose                11.0
9                                                    3.9
8                                                    10.1
7                                                    10.1
MIGHT CHOOSE                      34.2
6                                                    8.7
5                                                    18.8
4                                                    6.7
WOULD NOT CHOOSE           30.8
3                                                    5.8
2                                                    5.8
1                                                    4.3
0 – Not Ever Consider              14.9
DON’T KNOW/REFUSE          –
Mean                                            5.02

Have you heard of the recently passed legislation in North Carolina that requires individuals using bathrooms in government-owned building to use the bathroom that corresponds to the sex listed on their birth certificate? This law allows non-profits, private businesses and churches to establish their own bathroom policies with no interference by government.

Total 1000
YES                       65.2
NO                         21.6
UNSURE              13.2

Are you aware or not aware that North Carolina law does allow people who have had transgender reassignment surgery to change the sex listed on their birth certificate?

Total 1000
AWARE                        27.5
NOT AWARE              62.3
UNSURE                      10.2

In the event of a relocation that allows you to choose your next state of residence, what impact does this “bathroom-legislation” have one your likelihood to choose North Carolina as your new state of residence?

Total 1000
MORE LIKELY               21.1
Much                                10.7
Somewhat                        10.4
LESS LIKELY                  23.7
Somewhat                        11.3
Much                                12.4
NO DIFFERENCE         49.0
UNSURE                            6.1
Net Diff.                             -2.6
Mean                                  2.95

To view all questions and responses for this poll, click here.

Cross tabs can be found here.

Civitas Institute President Francis De Luca said, “It is clear that voters across the country maintain a positive view of North Carolina. Our economy is thriving, businesses are hiring, and North Carolinians are better off as a result of the conservative legislature the last few years and no amount of bullying from the media, the left, Governor Cooper, or outside organizations like the NCAA can possibly change that reality. The rest of the country sees right through it.”

You can hear an audio version of his comments here.

This survey of 1,000 likely general election voters nationwide was conducted between March 16^th – March 20^th, 2017. All interviews were conducted online; survey invitations were distributed randomly within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter turnout in a nationwide general election. This poll of 1,000 likely general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence interval. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.

To arrange an interview with Civitas President Francis De Luca, email Demi Dowdy at demi.dowdy@nccivitas.org or call (919) 747-8064.

Founded in 2005, the Civitas Institute is a Raleigh, NC-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy organization committed to creating a North Carolina whose citizens enjoy liberty and prosperity derived from limited government, personal responsibility and civic engagement.