(The Center Square) – Inflation remains No. 1 on the minds of North Carolina residents, a statewide poll says.
Conducted Oct. 19-29 with results released Tuesday, the High Point University Poll collected 1,000 responses and gives a credibility interval for results to +/-3.3%. The survey was done digitally, and thus does not adhere to usual assumptions associated with random selection and does not get assigned a “classic margin of error,” pollsters said in a release.
Only 12% of those responding said inflation concerns haven’t affected them much at all, with 54% saying it has affected a lot of spending decisions.
The poll asked about spending tendencies and recognition of prices for meat, vehicle gas, eggs, fruits and vegetables, bread, clothing, milk, natural gas, electronics, water and toys.
Of six choices, the middle “about the same” consistently got percentages in the high teens. An exception was meat, with 9% saying about the same and 58% saying it is a much higher price. In fact, the “much higher price” option and “somewhat higher price” options included combined percentages of 70% or more for meat (84%), fruits and vegetables (78%), bread (75%), vehicle gas (74%), eggs (72%), clothing (72%) and milk (72%).
There were 48% of respondents saying “worse than expected” for inflation expectations over the past few months, and 50% saying it will be higher 12 months into the future. People saying they are worse off financially than a year earlier totaled 49%.
