An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service
North Carolinians see themselves as political, yet many fear becoming targets of violence because of their beliefs, according to the most recent Catawba-YouGov Survey of 1,000 adults across the state. And while most North Carolinians want to talk to their political opposites, a significant number say it would be difficult to do.
“In an age of political division and incidents of political violence, the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service wanted a better understanding of how North Carolinians see themselves as political beings—how they engage others, and under what circumstances, if any, they see political violence as justified,” said Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics & history and center director, which wrote and paid for the survey.
“With Charlie Kirk’s assassination, understanding how North Carolinians perceive their political identities and interactions serves as an important barometer of the state’s civic health,” Bitzer added.
The survey asked respondents about the role of politics in their personal identity, their comfort in discussing politics with others (from close friends to opposite partisans), and when, if ever, political violence may be justified.
YouGov administered the online survey between October 16-24, 2025. The survey’s overall margin of error (adjusted for weights) is plus/minus 3.79 percent, meaning that in 95 out of 100 samples such as the one used here, the results should be at most 3.79 percentage points above or below the figure obtained by interviewing all North Carolinians. Where the results of subgroups are reported, the margin of error will be greater. See the methodology section for more information; survey results should be viewed as informative and not determinative.
POLITICAL IDENTITY RUNS DEEP AMONG NORTH CAROLINIANS
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of North Carolinians say that politics is important (very or somewhat) to their personal identity. Not surprisingly, those who identify as a partisan indicate a higher level of importance than those who identify as an independent:
- 78 percent of self-identified Democrats say politics is important to their personal identity
- 66 percent of self-identified Republicans say the same
- 57 percent of self-identified Independents said politics is important to their identity
Six out of ten White North Carolinians said politics is important to them, while 70 percent of Black North Carolinians said the same.
MAJORITY WILLING TO ENGAGE POLITICAL OPPONENTS, BUT ONLY TWO OUT OF TEN FIND IT EASY
While two-thirds (67 percent) of North Carolinians say they are willing to talk with someone who is their political opposite, Republicans and Independents are more likely to engage (both at 71 percent) with the opposite partisans than Democrats (at 59 percent).
Millennials and Generation Z are the most open to engaging opponents (71%), followed by Boomers and the Silent Generation (65%). Generation X reports the lowest willingness (61%).
Not surprisingly, the highest share of respondents who said it was ‘easy’ (very or somewhat) to talk about politics was with those who shared their own political view, at 69 percent. Talking politics with close family was also high, at 64 percent, but less than half of North Carolinians found it easy to talk about politics with others:
- With friends in social setting: 46 percent
- With relatives outside immediate family: 40 percent
- With those of a different race or ethnic background: 31 percent
- With work colleagues: 24 percent
- With acquaintances and those who you don’t know well: 23 percent
Only two out of ten North Carolinians found it easy talking about politics with are “people who are opposite to your political view.”
“As our politics have become more divided, as we have sorted ourselves into like-minded clusters, and as civic education has declined, it’s not surprising that only two out of ten North Carolinians feel that they can be at ease in talking with folks across the political aisle,” Bitzer noted.
“When we compared those who want to talk with their partisan opposites, we find that a plurality—47 percent—say it would be difficult to do so, with only 29 percent saying it would be easy. This shows that while North Carolinians are willing to engage in cross-partisan conversation, perhaps they lack the skills and understanding to engage with their political opponents. That’s a critical capability needed to bring about depolarization within our politics,” Bitzer added.
MOST NORTH CAROLINIANS OPPOSE POLITICAL VIOLENCE—THOUGH SOME SEE JUSTIFICATION TO UPHOLD LAW AND ORDER
With Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination, North Carolinians are concerned about being a target of political violence. Over half of respondents (56 percent) said they were very or somewhat concerned they could be targeted for their political beliefs.
Before answering the questions, the survey informed respondents that “‘force or violence’ means physical force strong enough that it could cause pain or injury to a person” and asked how likely (very or somewhat) various groups might be victims. When asked which groups are most likely to experience political violence over the next year, 53 percent said the political right, and 45 percent said the political left.
Regarding fifteen different scenarios, most saw broad rejection of political violence across areas such as elections, speech, discrimination, and protests. Two notable exceptions, where support for political violence outweighed opposition, framed violence in a ‘law and order’ perspective: stopping drugs from entering the United States and upholding the rule of law.
“Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say violence is ‘always’ or ‘usually’ justified when it comes to these two areas,” Bitzer noted. “But in areas such as elections, such as stopping an election from being stolen or stopping voter fraud or intimidation, North Carolinians said substantially political violence is never justified.”
“Even violence tied to speech, including speech that one disagrees with, and using violence to stop an opposition candidate from getting elected is broadly opposed by North Carolinians.”
The last set of findings from the October 2025 Catawba-YouGov Survey will focus on public health, technology, and environmental concerns.
