Is small business the key to kickstarting the state's economic engine?

A new poll of 600 voters by the conservative Civitas Institute poll shows a majority of North Carolinians believe small businesses are the catalyst to creating jobs and economic growth.

According to the survey, when asked who is better able to create jobs and rebuild the economy, 59.7 percent selected small business and entrepreneurs, 18 percent large corporations, 9 percent government and 3.5 percent non-profit organizations, while 9.8 percent had no opinion.

More than 85 percent of respondents would approve of a proposal to cut taxes on small business by 10 percent, while 10.3 percent were opposed and 4.5 percent had no opinion.

"Voters are keenly aware of the power of small businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and grow the economy," said Francis De Luca, executive director of the Civitas Institute, Francis De Luca. "Less than one in ten voters thought government was the best vehicle to create jobs. This seems to contradict current economic policy in Washington and Raleigh where government is raising, rather than cutting, taxes on small businesses."

The poll was conducted April 21-23, 2009 by Alexandria, Va.-based McLaughlin and Associates. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Has Gov. Beverly Perdue's popularity dipped?

A new poll by the conservative Civitas Institute shows the governor's favorability suffered during the past month. According to 600 voters surveyed, 44 percent of voters continued to view her favorably, while 35.2 percent viewed Perdue unfavorably. When comparing the sentiment of respondents from March, Perdue's favorability dropped 14 percent as those who viewed her unfavorably rose by 15.2 percent.

"Voters in North Carolina are beginning to place blame on the state continuing economic woes at the feet of the Governor," said Francis De Luca, executive director of the Civitas Institute. "With unemployment in excess of 11 percent statewide, Perdue is shouldering the burden for the continuing worsening economic conditions."

Respondents were also critical of Perdue's plan to balance the state budget with federal stimulus dollars. A majority of respondents, 56 percent, felt using the federal stimulus money to balance the state budget was a "wrong" decision, while 31.3 percent felt the supplementation was the "right" move.

The poll of 600 likely general election voters was conducted April 21-23 by the Alexandria, Va.-based McLaughlin and Associates. It has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Update: Tom Jensen, a spokesman for the Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling, says the Civitas claim may not hold up. The drop is based on results gathered by different firms, Jensen notes.

But comparing the Tel Opinion numbers to the McLaughlin numbers as if they're the same thing is not valid, even if both polls were commissioned by Civitas. It's like comparing apples and oranges when they're conducted by two different companies. Perdue's standing has probably declined in the last month and if the economy doesn't turn around it may continue to drop but she's not plummeting at nearly the rate they are claiming.

A new poll shows that nearly half of North Carolina voters support expanding public financing for Council of State races.

The survey, from the N.C. Center for Voter Education, shows 47 percent support expanding public financing and 33 percent oppose it. Nineteen percent were unsure.

Seventy percent said they would favor Council of State candidates whose campaigns are funded by taxpayers over those candidates funded by the special interests their offices oversee.

In 2008, public financing was available for three Council of State contests: auditor, commissioner of insurance and state superintendent of public instruction. Legislation under consideration would expand the program to all Council of State races except governor and lieutenant governor starting in 2012.

The poll of 653 North Carolina voters was conducted from Apr. 28-30 by Public Policy Polling and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.