An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service
As the midterm elections draw to the final weeks of campaigning, North Carolinians rank economic issues as the most important, according to new findings from the September Catawba College-YouGov Survey.
“Among eighteen different policy issues, economic concerns—inflation, rising prices, the economy, and jobs—are seen as the most important to North Carolinians,” said Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history and director of the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, which wrote and commissioned the poll with YouGov. “North Carolinians ranked the idea of affordability, that is inflation and rising prices, as the number one issue, with 78% saying it was ‘very important’ to them.”
The economy and jobs earned a 77% “very important” rating, with health care (72%), Social Security and Medicare (69%), and taxes and federal spending (65%) rounding out the top five.
“Domestic concerns are driving the importance for most North Carolinians during this campaign season,” Bitzer said. “From 73% of N.C. Republicans to 79% of independents and 81% of Democrats, rising prices and inflation are the top concerns across the partisan spectrum.”
While both North Carolina Democrats and independents rating inflation and rising prices first (81% and 79% respectively), followed by the economy and jobs, Republicans had the economy and jobs first, followed by inflation and rising prices.
A second tier of concerns centered on democracy and the nation’s civic life. Protecting democracy was identified as most important by 64% of North Carolinians, followed by voting rights (63%), division in the country (58%), and election security (55%).
“These issues related to America’s democracy show deep partisan gaps between Democrats and Republicans, with a 17-point partisan gap over the issue of voting rights, an 11-point gap over the importance of protecting democracy and the nation’s division, and a 14-point gap regarding election security,” Bitzer said.
Crime was the only other issue outside the top economic and democracy-related concerns to reach a majority of North Carolinians saying it was “very important,” with two-thirds of Republicans identifying it as very important, while 48% of Democrats and 49% of independents said so.
Two issues drew stark partisan differences. While environmental issues drew 45% of all North Carolina respondents saying it was a very important issue, 56% of Democrats said so, compared to only 28% of Republicans, a 28-point partisan gap. On the issue of immigration and border security, three-quarters of North Carolina Republicans rated it a very important issue, compared to 36% of Democrats, a 39-point partisan gap.
“While economics drives the top concerns of all North Carolinians, both parties have their respective policy issues that they identify at substantial numbers over their partisan opposites,” Bitzer said.
Foreign relation issues were at the bottom of the importance ratings by North Carolinians. While the war with Iran garnered 48% overall saying it was very important, the issue of the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Russia-Ukraine war were the bottom three issues, at 38%, 35%, and 25%, respectively.
REPUBLICAN PARTY FACTIONS SEE SHARPER DIFFERENCES THAN DEMOCRATIC FACTIONS
Among respondents who identified with or leaned toward either major party, the survey also asked whether they considered themselves more closely aligned with the party overall or with a particular faction: supporters of Donald Trump among Republicans and the Democratic Socialists of America among Democrats.
Among Republicans, 62% identified more with the Republican Party overall, while 38% identified more as Trump supporters. This shift to being party supporters has increased over the four times the Catawba-YouGov Survey asked North Carolina Republicans. Among Democrats, 56% identified more with the Democratic Party overall, while 44% identified more with the DSA.
“While the Catawba-YouGov Survey of North Carolinians has been tracked the Trump/MAGA movement for some time, we introduced a question for Democrats along the same lines: do they see themselves as more a support of the democratic socialist movement in the party, or not,” Bitzer said.
First asked in October 2025, 55% of North Carolina Republicans saw themselves as more supporters of Donald Trump than the party, and that pattern continued into January 2026. However, this past June, 57% of Republicans said they were more supporters of the party than Trump. In August, party Republicans increased to 59%, compared to 41% saying they were Trump supporters.
“The split among North Carolina Republicans continues a shift we found earlier in the summer: in this survey, 62% of Republicans said they were party supporters, while only 38% said they were more Trump supporters,” Bitzer said. “For N.C. Democrats, 56% said they were more party supporters than DSA, compared to 44% for the DSA.”
Among those in the Republican Party who say they are more a supporter of Donald Trump than the party overall, the greatest difference within the GOP is the immigration and border security issue: 87% of Trump Republicans said it was a “very important” issue, compared to 66% of party Republicans, a 21-point gap.
The biggest gap between party versus Trump Republicans was the issue of inflation and rising prices: 76% of party supporters said it was very important, compared to 67% of Trump supporters.
For DSA Democrats versus party Democrats, the biggest gap was over crime: 51% of party Democrats said it was very important, compared to 35% of DSA Democrats. In reverse, 63% of DSA Democrats said abortion was a very important issue, while 53% of party Democrats said so.
Bitzer noted that Trump vs. party Republicans shows sharper differences, especially on immigration, election security, and crime, than the Democratic factions. “The Democratic internal split is more targeted, with DSA supporters are more focused on abortion and voting rights, while Party Democrats are more focused on crime and taxes,” Bitzer said.
“Not surprisingly, there are stark differences between the factions of Trump Republicans and DSA Democrats. The biggest gap—52%—between the two factions is over immigration and border security, followed by environmental issues,” Bitzer noted.
The September 2026 Catawba College-YouGov Survey interviewed 1,000 weighted North Carolina adults online. Administered online Sept. 4-15, 2026, by YouGov, the survey was written and paid for by Catawba College’s Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service. The survey’s adjusted overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.68 percentage points; subgroups will have higher margins of error. Results should be viewed as informative estimates rather than definitive measures of public opinion.
Future releases will focus on the the possibility of political violence associated with the election; and the perceptions of “Make America Great Again” and the democratic socialist movement within the two political parties.
You may find additional details about the poll’s findings, methodology and responses below.
About the Center for NC Politics and Public Service
The Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service at Catawba College is dedicated to enriching civic dialogue, deepening understanding, and fostering engagement within North Carolina. Through non-partisan initiatives, the Center promotes the ideals of public service, civic character and engagement, and informed citizenship across the state. By educating North Carolinians about the state's political dynamics and emphasizing the value of public service, the Center cultivates practical political understanding and encourages active civic participation. In doing so, it helps instill a lasting respect for public life and being a responsible citizen — both among Catawba College students and throughout the wider North Carolina community.
About Catawba College
Founded in 1851, Catawba College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in Salisbury, N.C. Ranked as one of the best regional colleges in the South, Catawba is known for its intellectual rigor, dedicated faculty, beautiful campus, and strong commitment to sustainability and the environment. The College offers more than 70 undergraduate and four graduate programs allowing students to explore diverse interests and create their own academic pathway. Additional information is available at catawba.edu.
