Raleigh, N.C. – Most Tar Heel fans have not seen enough yet to judge, but interim head football coach Everett Withers is gaining favor with UNC sports aficionados. 39% approve of the job he is doing at the helm of the embattled program, and only 8% disapprove. 53% have no opinion. In August, pre-season, PPP asked if fans had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of their incoming coach, and the spread was 23-3, with 74% unsurprisingly still unsure. So those who have decided since then have moved more than 3:1 in Withers’ favor.
Such is the coach’s momentum and the team’s decent success on the field that 34% think Withers should be hired on permanently. Only 14% have already decided the school should look for another head coach after this season. As on his own job performance, 53% are not sure.
By almost a 2:1 margin (44-23), most UNC fans think the school has been treated fairly by the NCAA during the investigation into alleged violations by the program during Butch Davis’ tenure. Most of that sentiment comes from the 75% who say they are either moderate or casual fans, however. Self-labeled hardcore fans actually say the opposite, by a 36-41 spread. So do those who say they went to Carolina, 24-52.
These serious fans are also more critical of Chancellor Holden Thorp than the fanbase at large. While 29% of all fans think he should remain chancellor and 19% think he should resign or be fired, and while they are split on his handling of the football program, 25-26 (up from 20-35 in August), the hardcore want Thorp gone (24-37).
“For most UNC fans the jury is out on Everett Withers,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “The team’s success in the final 3 games of the regular season will have a big effect on whether folks want to see him stay or go.”
PPP surveyed 615 North Carolina voters, including 243 UNC fans, from October 27th to 31st. The margin of error for the entire survey is +/-4.0%, and +/-6.3% for the UNC fan subsample. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews. PPP is a Democratic polling company, but polling expert Nate Silver of the New York Times found that its surveys in 2010 actually exhibited a slight bias toward Republican candidates.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you think that college athletes should be
paid or not?
They should be paid…………………………………. 23%
They should not ………………………………………. 66%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q2 Are you a fan of UNC sports or not?
UNC fan…………………………………………………. 40%
Not a UNC fan ………………………………………… 60%
Q3 (Q3-12 asked only of those who said they were
UNC fans in Q2) Do you agree or disagree with
the decision to fire Butch Davis as football
coach?
Agree …………………………………………………….. 32%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 26%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 42%
Q4 Do you approve or disapprove of the job Butch
Davis did as football coach?
Approve …………………………………………………. 38%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 22%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 40%
Q5 Do you approve or disapprove of the overall job
Holden Thorp is doing as Chancellor?
Approve …………………………………………………. 27%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 19%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 53%
Q6 Do you approve or disapprove of Holden
Thorp’s handling of the football team?
Approve …………………………………………………. 26%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 26%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 48%
Q7 Do you think that Holden Thorp should
continue to serve as Chancellor, or do you
think he should resign or be fired?
Should continue to serve as Chancellor………. 30%
Should resign or be fired…………………………… 19%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 51%
Q8 Do you approve or disapprove of the job
Everett Withers is doing as football coach?
Approve …………………………………………………. 39%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 8%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 53%
Q9 Do you think that Everett Withers should be
made the permanent head football coach, or
should UNC hire someone else?
Withers should be made the permanent
coach ……………………………………………………..34%
UNC should hire someone else …………………. 14%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 53%
Q10 Do you think the NCAA’s treatment of UNC has
been fair or unfair during the current
investigation?
Fair ……………………………………………………….. 44%
Unfair …………………………………………………….. 23%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 33%
Q11 Did you attend college at UNC?
Yes………………………………………………………… 13%
No …………………………………………………………. 87%
Q12 Would you describe yourself as a hardcore,
moderate, or casual fan of UNC?
Hardcore………………………………………………… 26%
Moderate………………………………………………… 40%
Casual……………………………………………………. 35%
Q13 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 8%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 31%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 27%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 17%
Q14 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 54%
Man……………………………………………………….. 46%
Q15 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 ……………………………………………….. 46%
Republican……………………………………………… 35%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 19%
Q16 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 74%
African-American …………………………………….. 21%
Other……………………………………………………… 4%
Q17 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………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 48%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%
Q18
252………………………………………………………… 11%
336………………………………………………………… 18%
704………………………………………………………… 16%
828………………………………………………………… 14%
910………………………………………………………… 17%
919………………………………………………………… 23%
