Most in NC say their life has gotten worse since 2024, WRAL/WSOC Poll shows. And most blame Trump

A majority of North Carolina adults say their life has gotten worse over the past two years, that they’re feeling unsure or pessimistic about their personal finances in the near future, and that they hold President Donald Trump to blame, according to new details of a WRAL/WSOC Poll published Wednesday.

Fewer than one in five adults — just 17% — said their life has improved since the 2024 elections when Trump retook office. And concerns over the economy, the poll also found, are far and away the single strongest factor motivating likely voters this year.

Consumer confidence, a nationwide measure aimed at gauging future spending, dropped to its lowest point in recorded history in May, according to data collected by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The indicator has rebounded somewhat since then but remains near record lows, the data shows.

Trump won North Carolina three times. In 2024, he garnered 51% of the vote in the Tar Heel State. But his support has since waned; Trump’s approval rating has sunk to 37% in North Carolina, according to the WRAL/WSOC Poll, which was conducted by SurveyUSA from Oct. 7 through Oct. 11. The poll surveyed 900 North Carolina adults, of whom 643 had either already voted by mail or were likely to vote. 

But the pessimistic and uncertain views on the economy — and Trump’s latest approval ratings — are expected to put pressure on Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, political analysts say. In the race for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat, Democratic nominee Roy Cooper led Trump-endorsed Republican nominee Michael Whatley by 14 points, the poll found. Early voting begins this week. Election Day is Nov. 3. 

Cooper has focused almost exclusively on economic issues during his campaign, touting the slogan “make stuff cost less.” Whatley — who has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s policies — has recently shifted his focus to include more economic issues with his recent “make more, keep more” campaign.

They are seeking the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has been in office the past 12 years but didn’t seek reelection after a falling out with Trump over massive cuts to Medicaid that Trump and most Congressional Republicans supported last year to pay for new tax cuts, but which Tillis opposed.

Medicaid provides health insurance to more than 3 million of North Carolina’s 11 million residents. And after the economy, the new WRAL/WSOC Poll found, healthcare was the next top issue motivating voters.

The federal Medicaid cuts could kick hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians off the program next year, WRAL has reported. Additionally, Trump and Congressional Republicans reduced subsidies for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, a decision that sent prices skyrocketing. More than 200,000 people dropped off Obamacare this year in North Carolina, according to North Carolina Health News.

The White House on Tuesday defended Trump’s record and criticized Democratic politicians, telling WRAL in a written statement that Trump “lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, drove violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, secured billions of dollars of investment into North Carolina, and sent Americans’ 401(k)s climbing to record highs. The choice has never been more clear: doubling down on President Trump’s winning, commonsense agenda or the Democrats’ extreme liberal policies and obstruction.”

Top issues, by the numbers

The poll’s newest findings, released Wednesday, focused on the issues most important to voters this year.

The poll asked people about 11 separate topics. It found the economy and healthcare were the two most important, by a wide margin.

When asked to rank how they viewed the importance of various issues, on a scale of 1 to 10, the economy was the only issue that a majority of respondents ranked a 10. Taking a broader view, the poll also found that 70% of respondents ranked the economy as either a 9 or a 10. Another 62% said the same for healthcare.

Five other topics saw more than 40% of voters rank them as either a 9 or a 10 on that scale: “defending democracy” (53%), education (44%), international conflicts (44%), crime (43%) and mental health or addiction (42%).

Rounding out the list were concerns about gun rights or gun control (37%), abortion (36%), immigration and border security (36%) and the environment (34%).

Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political scientist who isn’t related to Roy Cooper, said it’s clear what’s driving voters to decide whether they’ll vote in 2026 and, if so, who they’ll vote for.

“It’s about Trump and it’s about the economy — those two things together, and they are intertwined,” he said in an interview. “Folks tend to blame the party in power. There's no question the Republicans are in charge of the national government, and the state government. And so if people think things aren't going well in their personal finances, they're going to blame that party.”

Growing economic concern

More than half of respondents expressed doubt or uncertainty about their financial future. About 37% of respondents were feeling pessimistic, and another 19% were feeling unsure about the economic outlook for their family over the next year. Another 44% said they were optimistic.

A WRAL News Poll ahead of the 2024 election showed similar numbers. That poll, published in September 2024, found 55% expressed at least some doubt about their financial future during the waning days of President Joe Biden’s time in office and 45% said they were optimistic.

Trump won the state and the presidency in 2024 by promising to bring down inflation and improve the economy. But inflation has remained elevated due in part to policies Trump has implemented, such as tariffs and a decision to wage war with Iran — which has caused gas prices to surge. Republican state legislative leaders last week convened a special session of the legislature to spend $350 million suspending the state’s 41-cent-per-gallon gas tax as the election nears. The tax holiday was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on Friday and ends Nov. 30.

Even among those who expressed optimism about their personal finances, at least some believe their family’s economic outlook is worse since Trump retook office.

While 44% expressed optimism when asked about the future, the poll found that 51% of all respondents agreed that “my life and financial standing has gotten worse” since the 2024 elections, compared to only 17% who agreed that “my life and financial standing has improved.”

When asked who deserved credit or blame, there was also agreement that it fell on Trump and the GOP.

Among those who felt pessimistic about their families’ finances, most blamed Trump alone. And nearly all — 86% of respondents — said Trump or congressional Republicans deserve at least some of the blame. The numbers showed that, among people who say their lives have gotten worse:

• 52% blamed Trump.
• 7% blamed Republicans in Congress.
• 9% who blamed Democrats in Congress.
• 4% blamed local politicians in North Carolina.
• 27% said they blamed “all of the above.”

Among those who look back fondly on the past two years, most also agree that either Trump or congressional Republicans deserve at least some credit. Among those who say their lives have improved since 2024:

• 28% credit Trump
• 19% credit Republicans in Congress.
• 17% credit Democrats in Congress.
• 11% credit local North Carolina politicians.
• 15% credit “all of the above.”

Michael Bitzer, a Catawba College political scientist, said it all goes back to Trump’s promises in the 2024 elections and his actions since then. Trump has doubled down on tariffs and the Iran war, saying they’re worth the higher prices. So have Republicans running for office in 2026 including Whatley.

“This is just the Republicans having to bear the brunt of what they have been presented with by their president and how the voters are reacting,” Bitzer said in an interview.

Bitzer noted that Trump promised people refund checks from tariffs, as well as from his “Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE efforts under billionaire Elon Musk to cut government spending. But Trump never sent those checks, and voters seem to have noticed that their finances are now tighter, Bitzer said.

“I'd like to see somebody who has gotten their DOGE rebate check,” he said. “I'd also like to understand what kind of tariff refunds that Americans got that were promised as well. … The mood of the country, in the political environment, it's just toxic to the president.”

A White House spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment on the status of those previously promised checks. Trump has more recently promised to send all American adults a $5,000 check, paid for by the federal government, but only if people vote to keep Republicans in control of Congress.