Raleigh, NC — As controversy has swirled around fast food chicken chain Chick-Fil-A due to ownership’s outspoken opposition to same-sex marriage, a new poll from Public Policy Polling finds North Carolina voters split sharply in their approval of the company along ideological lines. Voters have an overall favorable view of Chick-Fil-A, with 68% holding a favorable view of the restaurant and 22% unfavorable. However much of the positive feelings are driven by almost unanimous support among voters who describe themselves as “very conservative” voters, who view CFA favorably by a 92-3 margin and “somewhat conservative” voters who view them favorably by a 96-1 margin. Moderate voters view the chain favorably by a 62-24 margin. Voters who describe themselves as “somewhat liberal” are split, with 44% viewing CFA favorably and 43% unfavorably. Finally, “very liberal” voters have a majority unfavorable view of the chain – 56% unfavorable and just 21% favorable. By contrast, while rival chains Bojangles (63% fav, 13% unfav) and Kentucky Fried Chicken (60% fav, 18% unfav) held similar overall favorability ratings to Chick-Fil-A, there was not nearly as much of a split along ideological lines.
Chick-Fil-A still takes the prize as North Carolina’s favorite fast food chicken restaurant, with 40% choosing them, 23% picking KFC and 18% opting for Bojangles. Once again, majorities of “somewhat conservative” and “very conservative” voters chose Chick-Fil-A, while “very liberal” voters chose KFC (43%), Bojangles (18%), and even “something else” (17%) over Chick-Fil-A (11%). Similarly, Republicans prefer CFA over Bojangles by a 58%-17% margin, while Democrats like KFC best (30%) with CFA second (25%). White voters choose Chick-Fil-A over KFC as their favorite chicken joint by a 44%-21% margin, while black voters prefer KFC over CFA by a 36%-21% margin.
PPP also asked voters about their favorite fast food hamburger chains. While majorities of NC voters had favorable opinions about McDonald’s (59-23), Burger King (52-27), and Hardees (52-27), Wendy’s had by far the highest favorability rating (72-13). Voters also chose Wendy’s as their favorite burger chain, with 35% choosing them, 23% taking McDonald’s, 15% Burger King and 13% Hardee’s.
PPP surveyed 813 likely North Carolina voters from August 2nd to 5th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.4%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Chick-fil-A?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 68%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 22%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Bojangles’?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 63%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 13%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 24%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Kentucky Fried Chicken?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 60%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 18%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%
Q4 What is your favorite fast-food chicken place:
Chick-fil-A, Bojangles’, Kentucky Fried
Chicken, or something else?
Chick-fil-A ………………………………………………. 40%
Bojangles’ ………………………………………………. 18%
KFC ………………………………………………………. 23%
Something else ……………………………………….. 17%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 2%
Q5 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of McDonald’s?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 59%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 23%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 18%
Q6 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Burger King?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 52%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 27%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%
Q7 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Wendy’s?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 72%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 13%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%
Q8 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Hardee’s?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 52%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 27%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%
Q9 What is your favorite fast food burger place:
McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, or
Hardee’s?
McDonald’s …………………………………………….. 23%
Burger King…………………………………………….. 15%
Wendy’s …………………………………………………. 35%
Hardee’s ………………………………………………… 13%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q10 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 47%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 47%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 6%
Q11 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 12%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 28%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 22%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 21%
Q12 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%
Q13 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 ……………………………………………….. 45%
Republican……………………………………………… 33%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 21%
Q14 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 75%
African-American …………………………………….. 20%
Other……………………………………………………… 5%
Q15 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………………………………………………….. 15%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 24%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 41%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
Q16 Were you born in North Carolina or in another
state?
North Carolina…….. .62% Another state ……… .38%
Q17 How long have you lived in North Carolina: 10
years or less, 11 to 20 years, 21 to 30 years,
31 to 40 years, or more than 40 years?
10 years or less ….. .11%
11 to 20 years …….. .17%
21 to 30 years …….. .18%
31 to 40 years …….. .15%
More than 40 years .39%
Q18 Area Code
252………………………………………………………… 14%
336………………………………………………………… 21%
704………………………………………………………… 17%
828………………………………………………………… 11%
910………………………………………………………… 15%
919………………………………………………………… 23%
