RALEIGH –A year after it was adopted in a single day, a new poll finds that HB2 still polarizes North Carolina voters – and a majority of us don’t like it.

“Overall, 33% of North Carolina voters support HB2, while 54% oppose it (11% undecided/not sure). Nearly two out of three hold strong views about the issue—20% of the state strongly support it, while 42% strongly oppose the legislation,” the pollsters at Republican firm Meeting Street Research wrote.¹

The survey was conducted March 8-9 – before fans of five North Carolina teams had to travel out of state to see their teams play in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The NCAA removed tournament games from North Carolina this year because it found HB2 discriminates against the LGBT community.²

HB2’s effects go well beyond athletics, though – our universities have seen prospective faculty, staff and students withdraw,³ conferences cancel or move,⁴ grants for high-level research placed at risk⁵ and would-be business partners lose interest.⁶

And there is no way to measure the phone that doesn’t ring.

The survey consisted of live telephone interviews with 500 registered North Carolina voters and has a margin of error of +/-4.38%.⁷

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¹Memorandum, “North Carolina Statewide Survey Results,” Meeting Street Research, Rob Autry and Martin Shull, March 14, 2017.
²http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/hb2-ncaa-championship-events-out-north-carolina-anti-lgbt-lesiglation-north-carolina-duke-region/1vipmthi50erc11rel2bms14vj.
³http://www.thewesterncarolinajournalist.com/2016/04/15/hb2-creates-chilling-effect-on-higher-education/.
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article69558257.html.
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article127577254.html.
⁴http://www.myacpa.org/article/open-letter-acpa-decision-move-event-north-carolina-venue. http://blog.historians.org/2016/12/business-history-conference-cancels-meeting-charlotte-nc/.
⁵http://www.greensboro.com/blogs/the_syllabus/the-syllabus-hb-and-higher-ed-once-again-updated/article_a3d79fb8-dbe5-5c2d-84cc-9b3d6975485d.html.
⁶http://www.wral.com/woodson-ncsu-losing-business-because-of-hb2/15642270/.
⁷Memorandum, “North Carolina Statewide Survey Results,” Meeting Street Research, Rob Autry and Martin Shull, March 14, 2017.