Poll shows NC’s 3rd Congressional District Voters Oppose Offshore Drilling and Support Offshore Wind

Media Contacts
Drew Ball

RALEIGH, NC – A poll on behalf of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, Environment North Carolina and the NRDC Action Fund found 52.8 percent of voters in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District believe offshore drilling is too risky, and 62.8 percent of voters want the government to reduce regulation in order to allow for more offshore wind development. 

In response, Karen Brown, President and CEO of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce stated “as the lead advocate for our coastal economy, the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce isn’t surprised that so many residents share our concerns about the devastating impacts offshore drilling could have on our economy.”

“Offshore drilling and seismic testing is a dangerous and dirty business. When compared with safe, renewable wind power it’s clear that people see the potential of clean energy while also recognizing that drilling is just too risky for our coast and our climate,” said Drew Ball, Director of Environment North Carolina.

“North Carolinians clearly prefer clean, safe energy from offshore wind power,” said Kayla Calkin, Federal Campaigns Manager for the NRDC Action Fund. “They expect their elected representatives to fight for them and protect the state’s coast from dirty and dangerous offshore drilling.”

See the polling memo from Strategic Partners Solutions below:

Polling Memo

June 28, 2019​- A poll on behalf of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, Environment North Carolina and NRDC Action Fund found 52.8 percent of voters in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional district believe off-shore drilling is too risky, and 62.8 percent of voters want the government to reduce regulation in order to allow for more offshore wind development.

The survey showed large differences in enthusiasm between those in favor and against offshore drilling and wind. A total of 38.8 percent of respondents strongly oppose any offshore drilling, while just 24 percent strongly support it. The gap between those in favor of more offshore wind and those who are against it was 35.3 percent.

Voters also voiced their concerns about global warming. In total, 62 percent of all voters said that global warming is a serious problem compared to 36.8 percent who said it was not.

In addition, voters expressed their concerns about protecting coastal resources. 62.8 percent of voters said pollution from trash and plastics is a serious problem and needs to be addressed now, while 27.5 percent said it was not.

Those surveyed were also asked about the candidates running in the upcoming special Congressional elections. It found that more than half of all respondents had not formulated a hard opinion about the candidates yet, suggesting a general election matchup. However, the generic ballot test did favor the Republican candidate by 49.3 percent to 41 percent for the Democratic candidate.

The poll of 400 likely general election voters was conducted by Strategic Partners Solutions, a Raleigh-based firm. All interviews were conducted by phone with 25 percent of the interviews being cell phone-only households. The survey was conducted over the course of two nights, May 18-19, 2019 and has a margin of error is 4.9 percent.