An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service
Yet when asked about the value of compromise and conceding when defeated at the polls, North Carolina’s public opinion is mixed.
Funded by Catawba College’s Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service and conducted by YouGov from June 10-26, 2025, North Carolinians were asked their opinions regarding the level of importance of fifteen principles related to election processes, public information, citizen participation, and elected officials.
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.56 percent for the 1,000 weighted respondents who are 18 and older and live in North Carolina, with larger margins of error among sub-groups. All results should be interpreted as informative and not determinative. This is the third of three survey findings highlighting North Carolinians’ opinions on the core principles of American democracy.
In general, North Carolinians rated election processes the highest in importance (very important or somewhat important) among the four groups of principles asked:
- At 92 percent, ‘all adults have equal opportunity to vote’ was considered the most important for American democracy
- At 91 percent, the principles of ‘elections are conducted, ballots counted, and winners determined without pervasive fraud or manipulation’ and ‘all votes have equal impact on election outcomes’
- At 90 percent, ‘elections are free from foreign interference’
However, two election processes are among the bottom five in levels of importance: ‘public policy is not determined by large campaign contributions’ garnered 83 percent, while the lowest in importance to North Carolinians was ‘Incumbent politicians who lose elections publicly concede defeat,’ at 71 percent.
“While at least seven out of ten North Carolinians believe in various principles of our republic, the variation among these shows there is still work to do for our overall civic health,” said Dr. Michael Bitzer, director of the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service and professor of politics and history at Catawba College.
“North Carolinians appear to believe strongly in voting rights and election processes, but compromising with the other side and conceding electoral defeat are issues apparently lacking in importance,” Bitzer said.
One other principle regarding election processes—that of ‘the way electoral districts are drawn doesn’t consistently favor one political party over the other’—received 84 percent of respondents indicating its importance.
Among the three principles related to public information, all scored nearly 90 percent in terms of the importance to American democracy:
- ‘Citizens have access to information about candidates that is relevant to how they would govern’ was important to 89 percent of respondents
- ‘Citizens can make their opinions heard in open debate about politics that are under consideration’ and ‘Information about the sources of campaign funding is available to the public’ both garnered 88 percent of importance to North Carolinians
Among the principles of citizen participation:
- ‘Voter participation in elections is generally high’ garners 87 percent of North Carolinians saying this principle was important.
- 84 percent of North Carolinians identify the principle ‘It is a fundamental responsibility for citizens to vote in all elections’ as important.
- ‘Parties and candidates are not barred due to their political beliefs’ received 82 percent.
- Only three-quarters of respondents believed it was important that ‘political competition occurs without criticism of opponents’ loyalty or patriotism.’
“While North Carolinians express strong levels of importance for citizen engagement, especially voting, only 70.32 percent of North Carolina’s voting-eligible population cast a ballot in 2024’s presidential general election,” Bitzer said, citing data tracked by the University of Florida’s Election Lab. “Another concern is calling into question an opponents’ patriotism or loyalty came in second to last among the most important rankings.”
Regarding the two principles about elected officials, 85 percent of North Carolinians said it was important that ‘even when there [is] disagreement about ideology or policy, political leaders and elected officials generally share a common understanding of relevant facts.’
However, when asked about the role of compromise in policy making, only three-quarters of North Carolinians said it was important that ‘elected officials seek compromise with political opponents.’
Differences Among North Carolinians About Voting and Elections
While partisan differences for the fourteen principles were within the margin of error, the one notable difference between self-identifying Republicans and Democrats was over the least important principle, that of losing incumbents publicly conceding defeat. Among Republicans, only 64 percent believed that it was important, while among Democrats, it was 79 percent, with three-quarters of independents saying it was important.
Other notable numbers within the data include:
- When asked about elections conducted without fraud, 96 percent of those respondents with four-year college degrees or more said it was very or somewhat important, while among those without a high school degree, only 85 percent said it was important.
- 94 percent of conservative respondents said it was important the elections be free from foreign interference, while 92 percent of liberals and 89 percent of moderates said the same.
- 98 percent of North Carolinians born before 1964 (Boomers and Silent generations) said it was important for elections to be free from foreign interference, while 82 percent of those born after 1981 (Millennials and Generation Z) said the same.
- Another generational distinction was regarding the principle that voter participation in elections is generally high: 93 percent of Boomers & Silent generation respondents said it was important, while only 81 percent of Millennials and Generation Z said it was important. Members of Generation X, between the oldest and youngest generations, had 89 percent who said it was important.
- Regarding the principle that “even when there are disagreements about ideology or policy, political leaders and elected officials generally share a common understanding of relevant facts,” 93 percent of respondents who said they voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 said it was important, while 87 percent of Donald Trump 2024 voters said the same. Among those who indicated they didn’t vote in 2024, only two-thirds of respondents said it was an important principle.
- Another generational distinction involved the principle “it is a fundamental responsibility for citizens to vote in all elections”: 93 percent of those respondents who are Boomers or Silent generations said it was important, while only three-quarters of Millennials and Generation Z respondents said it was important. Among Generation X respondents, 88 percent said it was important.
- 84 percent of Republicans said it was important regarding the principle of partisan gerrymandering, or that “the way electoral districts are drawn doesn’t consistently favor one political party over the other,” compared to 89 percent among Democrats and 81 percent of Independents saying it was important.
- When asked about the importance of “elected officials (seeking) compromise with political opponents,” 86 percent of Kamala Harris 2024 voter respondents said it was important, compared to 73 percent of Donald Trump 2024 voter respondents. Among those who didn’t vote in 2024, only 64 percent said it was an important principle.
- When asked about calling into question an opponent’s patriotism or loyalty, nine out of ten liberals believed it was important not to do so, while only two-thirds of conservatives believed so.
- Much like the partisan differences regarding the principle of “incumbent politicians who lose elections publicly conceded defeat,” 85 percent of respondents who voted for Harris 2024 said it was important, compared to 64 percent of Trump 2024 voter respondents and only 58 percent of those who didn’t vote in 2024.
Prior releases focused on how North Carolinians rank the importance of governing authority and the importance of rights and liberties to American democracy.
