Conservatives' poll: Voters not happy with GOP legislature

Findings from a Civitas Institute poll released this week show North Carolinians giving thumbs up to many of the tax changes coming from the Republican-controlled N.C. legislature. The flash poll from the group calling itself "North Carolina's conservative voice" was done July 17-18 and polled 603 N.C. registered voters. But the same poll showed respondents dissatisfied with the legislature, particularly legislative Republicans.

On tax changes:

- Sixty-five percent approved of cutting the state personal income tax for all NC taxpayers to a flat 5.75 percent rate; 23 percent disapproved.

- Sixty-four percent approved of increasing the standard deduction; 20 percent disapproved.

- Fifty-two percent approved of a cut in corporate taxes from 6.9 percent to 5 percent in two years, and down to 3 percent in the next two years if certain fiscal benchmarks are reached; 33 percent disapproved.

The biggest approval rating though came for issues that Republican legislative leaders initially fought against. Lawmakers had pressed to tax Social Security benefits and take away deductions for charitable giving. After loud public protests, those changes did not become part of the budget bills. In the Civitas poll, 84 percent of respondents approved of leaving charitable contributions fully deductible and not taxing Social Security benefits; just 8 percent disapproved.

On political leadership, respondents weren't very happy with legislative leaders. Thirty-nine percent gave the General Assembly unfavorable marks, with 25 percent favorable and 26 percent neutral.

On legislative Republicans, 40 percent viewed them unfavorably, 32 percent favorably and 20 percent neutral. Of legislative Democrats, 33 percent viewed them favorably and 33 percent viewed them unfavorably with 27 percent neutral.

Of GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, 37 percent viewed him favorably and 30 percent unfavorably, with 21 percent neutral.

The poll included 30 percent of people identifying as Republican, 43 percent as Democrats and 24 percent independent. On political ideology, 35 percent identified as conservative, 41 percent as moderate, and 16 percent as liberal.