NC Coronavirus Survey: Majority Happy With Cooper, Not With Trump

NORTH CAROLINA — A majority of North Carolinians disapprove both of the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as President Donald Trump's performance during the crisis, according to an informal reader survey Patch conducted Friday.

About 55 percent of the survey's 253 respondents said they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the federal response, compared with nearly 36 percent who say they are either satisfied or very satisfied.

Almost 57 percent of respondents said they are either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the president's performance, compared with 36 percent saying they are satisfied or very satisfied. Among those expressing the strongest views, those describing themselves as very dissatisfied outnumbered the very satisfied by a ratio of more than 2 to 1.

In contrast, respondents were more pleased with the state government's response to the crisis, with 66 percent expressing positive views about its performance. Seventy percent expressed positive views about Gov. Roy Cooper's performance.

The survey, which appeared in questionnaire form earlier Friday on Patch, is meant not to be a scientific poll but only to give a broad idea of public sentiment.

The Patch survey included questions about how North Carolina residents have fared in the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic, and for some the picture is grim.

Almost 14 percent of respondents said they had been laid off, furloughed or dismissed as a result of the pandemic, and another 13 percent said they had lost significant working hours. The majority — 72 percent — of respondents said there was little or no effect on their job situation.

Finally, the survey asked how well respondents are complying with stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines.

About 76 percent of respondents say they almost always comply with the state's stay-at-home order, and more than 84 percent said they almost always practice social distancing when they must leave their homes.

But when it comes to following the rules, respondents don't think highly of their neighbors' actions. Only 12 percent said others in the community almost always comply, while almost 22 percent said those others often do and 47 percent said only sometimes.

Results for each of the survey's nine questions appear below.

Jean Dubail, Patch Staff, contributed.