A new poll of rural voters in North Carolina finds deepening economic anxiety about the costs of goods – and a shift on how voters in these areas think about the role of government in their lives.

The poll found 55% of rural voters say the rising cost of living is their most important issue, with food prices topping the list of concerns.

Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies, which commissioned the survey, said the level of pessimism caught researchers off guard.

"They were full of doubt, uncertainty, not happy with the way things were going," he said. "So that was a little surprising. We're not used to seeing this much pessimism in rural America."

Forty-six percent say the rural economy has gotten worse over the last year, and the number of voters who want government to "get out of their way" dropped from 42% in 2023 to 32% today.

Davis said he believes the shift in voter attitudes toward government intervention can be attributed to prolonged economic pressure. He noted that a slim majority of rural voters say the U.S. economy isn't working well for them personally. The poll also found President Donald Trump's favorability among rural voters in battleground states at 52% favorable, 46% unfavorable, down from his 65% vote share in 2024.

"Right now, people are admitting that they need government support," Davis said. "There's weakness in the private sector and the high costs of living are really influencing rural voters."

The survey of 600 rural voters was conducted online March 18-25 by Lake Research Partners. It included voters in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and other Senate battleground states. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points.

Source: Public News Service