Raleigh, N.C. – A new poll of North Carolina voters describing themselves as UNC fans finds that football coach Butch Davis retains strong support from his fan base and that there is little sentiment in favor of replacing him.
Overall 41% of UNC fans approve of the job Davis is doing as coach to 20% who disapprove. This survey was conducted before the team won in Charlottesville for the first time in 29 years last weekend. Respondents were asked to describe their fandom of the team as ‘hardcore’ or ‘casual’ and among the most devoted fans Davis’ approval rises to 59% with only 21% unhappy with his performance.
There’s been a lot of discussion recently about Davis’ future at North Carolina given all of the team’s issues with the NCAA but only 14% of the Tar Heel fan base thinks he should be fired to 57% who think he should continue on in his position. That sentiment is even stronger among those who identified themselves as ‘hardcore’ fans. Only 9% of them supported replacing Davis while 68% said he should remain as coach.
“For everything that’s happened in the UNC football program over the last three months Butch Davis remains extremely popular with Tar Heel fans,” said Tom Jensen, Director of Public Policy Polling. “That seems to reflect a sentiment that the team’s off field troubles are not Davis’ fault, as well as appreciation for the strides the team has made on the field since Davis became the coach.”
The poll had another interesting finding. While 46% of voters statewide describe themselves as Democrats to 37% who are Republicans, those identifying as Carolina fans break down as 53% Democrats and 32% Republicans. And those describing themselves as ‘hardcore’ UNC fans are 59% Democrats and 29% Republicans. Those data points indicate the general perceptions about the political disposition of UNC people may be correct.
PPP surveyed 597 likely North Carolina voters from October 15th to 17th. 159 of those respondents identified themselves as UNC fans. The margin of error on that subgroup is +/-7.8%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
Complete results are attached, and can be found at www.publicpolicypolling.com.
If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Tom Jensen at 919-744-6312.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of the job Butch
Davis is doing as football coach?
Approve…………….. 41%
Disapprove………… 20%
Not sure ……………. 39%
Q2 Would you rather that Butch Davis continued to
be UNC’s football coach or that he was fired?
Rather he
continued ………….. 57%
Rather he were
fired …………………..14%
Not sure ……………. 29%
Q3 Would you describe yourself more as a
hardcore or casual Carolina fan?
Hardcore………………………………………………… 42%
Casual……………………………………………………. 58%
Q4 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative?
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 20%
Moderate………………………………………………… 44%
Conservative…………………………………………… 36%
Q5 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 56%
Man……………………………………………………….. 44%
Q6 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 53%
Republican……………………………………………… 32%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 15%
Q7 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 76%
African-American …………………………………….. 21%
Other……………………………………………………… 3%
Q8 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 3%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 34%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 37%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 25%
Q9
252………………………………………………………… 5%
336………………………………………………………… 23%
704………………………………………………………… 24%
828………………………………………………………… 11%
910………………………………………………………… 18%
919………………………………………………………… 19%
