Chick-Fil-A is definitely winning in the court of public opinion in North Carolina. 40% of voters rate it as their favorite fast food chicken place to 23% for KFC and 18% for Bojangles.
There is a large ideological split on the all important chicken issue. Voters describing themselves as 'very liberal' actually say that they prefer KFC to Chick-Fil-A by a 43/11 margin, with Bojangles coming in second at 17%. But Chick-Fil-A defeats KFC 61-17 with 'very conservative' voters, a much larger group within the state's electorate.
Chick-Fil-A's overall favorability is 68/22. With Republicans it's 92/4- that's a pretty remarkable figure- it would be hard to find anything else 92% of North Carolina Republicans have a favorable opinion of. Chick-Fil-A is at 51/35 with Democrats, and its 68/22 standing with independents matches its overall numbers. Bojangles has a 63/13 favorability rating and KFC comes in at 60/18/ North Carolinians appear to like their fast food chicken chains a whole lot more than their politicians.
As long as we were polling on fast food we also looked at the burger chains. Wendy's come out as the winner on that front with 35% of voters picking it as their favorite to 23% for McDonald's, 15% for Burger King, and 13% for Hardee's. The burger wars aren't nearly as polarizing as the chicken wars. Wendy's is the top choice of Republicans (42-23), independents (34-23), and Democrats (29-24). Finally something that North Carolinians can agree on regardless of party lines.
In terms of simple favorability ratings Wendy's has the best numbers 0f any of the chains, chicken or burger focused, with 72% of voters giving it favorable marks and 13% unfavorable. The other burger places are in the 50s- 59/23 for McDonald's and 52/27 for both Burger King and Hardee's.
I'm not sure how relevant any of this poll is to anything...but you can't accuse us of not being thorough in measuring the opinions of North Carolinians about everything under the sun.
Full results here
Chic-Fil-A knew how to work the media.
They used the media to state their anti-gay marriage position, which was already known for years.
Chic-Fil-A used the media for free advertising drawing in customers who normally would not go there.
It was only about the money, not religious beliefs or politics.
They welcomed married gays or married straights as long as they bring their money.
End result is Chic-Fil-A made a whole lot more money and got free advertising from the publicity.
Posted by: K3HY | August 09, 2012 at 03:17 PM
I'm a liberal but I must admit Chik Fil A is much better than KFC as far as food quality.
That said; fast food in general is terrible. Eat real food!
Posted by: Obama 2012 | August 09, 2012 at 11:54 PM
Dang northerns screwin mess up... There's nothing wrong with KFC, but in NO WAY is it any better than Bojangles!!! & Let's face it: Chick-fil-A is the most delicious chicken only restaurant there is. Doesn't mean I'd be more likely to choose it over a burger joint.
Posted by: Lori | August 10, 2012 at 10:01 AM
Tom, I want to salute you for your pro-Bojangles bias. Bojangles is an integral part of North Carolina (although I think it's owned by one of those private equity firms out of state, it is still based in Charlotte) and we ought to support it. I remember when Zach Galifianakis mentioned Bojangles during a skit on Saturday Night Live and I wondered how many people in the New York studio audience knew what he was talking about. But we proud North Carolinians know!
It's Bo Time!
P.S. I love Chick-fil-A, too, though I am not really conservative. I'm a parent - they have good food that my son loves!
Posted by: Andrew | August 10, 2012 at 11:53 AM
This poll is an utter fraud; you didn't include Cook-Out AKA God's favored bringer of obesity! I'll be sure to record an angry voicemail to express my disdain! Once again the MSM colludes to suppress alternative fast food.
Posted by: Gene Hoglan | August 10, 2012 at 02:53 PM
Glad to see KFC is still in leading in fast food in all over the states.
Posted by: Travis Birt | January 30, 2013 at 03:20 AM