WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC-Poll gauges NC sentiment about various topics

Poll gauges NC sentiment about various topics

By Steve Crump - bio l email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Recently, WBTV teamed up with researchers from Elon University's Center for Public Opinion Polling.  The poll was designed to examine your views about how well your local government works for you.

The university conducted a phone poll during this week, Monday through Thursday, asking you about judges, your city council, your mayors, your school boards, how you feel about the taxes you pay in your state and community.

The results are in and we discovered a few hot button issues. 

One big surprise is how much Health Care is "not" a top issue among those polled.  Despite Congress's wrangling over the health care bill this week, it ranked 8^th on your list of concerns. 

Not surprisingly, the economy tops the list with 56 percent of respondents naming it number one. 

While property, sales, or tobacco taxes have been known to rile people up, the most vocal responses to the Elon University survey came from pain at the pump.

The governments share in North Carolina is close to 49 cents a gallon, and nearly 45 percent of those who responded said the gas tax is not fair at all. 

Arnetta Howze of Charlotte feels the bite cuts too deep.

"Every morning you wake up, it's a different price, but like I say you've got to drive, but it is a little high," she said.

In this so called age of the internet, libraries are regarded as relevant.

Across the state, more than 40 percent of those contacted described the services provided by government run libraries, as being very good.

Joe Thompson of Charlotte said, "you can get pretty much everything you need on the internet including books, I think the library is pretty vital, because so much of it is free, and that's important."

When it comes to public safety, high marks for the police department.

More than 70 percent of those questioned say good or very good, and the fire department scores even higher."

Better than 80 percent with 48 percent of those responding calling the fire department's performance very good.

However, school boards perhaps show the need for improvement. More than 35 percent saying they are dissatisfied and strongly dissatisfied, and parents at West Charlotte High like Amirah Watson understands the answers.

"Who's gonna be held accountable for these students who are supposed to succeed in life, when they haven't been properly prepared," she said. 

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