Start your week in North Carolina politics with our latest Under the Dome podcast, for the week of September 30, 2024. Dawn Vaughan here, your podcast host and the Capitol bureau chief of The News & Observer. In this episode I’m joined by Jason Husser of the Elon University Survey.
He is assistant provost for academic excellence and integrity at Elon University, as well as professor of political science and policy studies and longtime director of the Elon University Poll.
We talk about the latest polls in North Carolina on the governor race And presidential raceplus what issues are important to the people being interviewed. And we also explain what is involved in conducting a serious poll.
Some polls can take months, especially face-to-face polls, Husser said, which are the “highest quality” polls.
“What we are in now is the cycle horse racing pollbecause that is where consumer demand lies. “I have a lot of reservations about horse racing polling, in terms of its intellectual value and its value to society, but people want to have an idea of what’s happening,” Husser said.
He said about 20 polls have been conducted in North Carolina over the past six weeks.
“North Carolina is one very heavily polled state,” he said, similar to Pennsylvania. Husser notes that the Elon Poll conducts surveys throughout the year, especially off-cycle, on General Assembly issues and other topics.
Husser said: “Right now the most important issue for most voters across the country is the economy. The economy is constantly that big problem.”
Because society is so polarized, he said, conversations have shifted from issues to personality.
Listen to the podcast to hear about shifts in the way people talk about policy and politics.
Leader of the week
Stay tuned to the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. Both are current: Hurricane Helenewhich was approaching when we recorded the podcast, and this past year the World of Bluegrass festival is in Raleigh.
Listen to our latest episode below and watch previous episodes. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher.
