HPU Poll: Climate change low on North Carolinians' priorities for next governor

A recent poll from High Point University finds that climate change ranks low among North Carolinian's concerns for 2024.

Voters will pick a new governor next year. The HPU survey asked how important it will be for the state’s next chief executive to deal with certain issues. 

Climate change ranked 19th of 20 issues that respondents considered “very important,” with “rural development” the only issue deemed less critical.

Twelve percent said climate change was “not at all important,” a higher number in that response than any of the other issues.

Current Gov. Roy Cooper has taken steps to address climate change including pushing for more electric vehicles and increased use of wind energy. But he’s often been at loggerheads with the GOP-led legislature over environmental policy.

The High Point University poll found that school safety, inflation, and education were the issues that were most important for the next governor to address, with at least 70 percent saying those issues were “very important.”