The latest statewide survey by the Elon University Poll reveals significant safety concerns in the wake of highly publicized violent crime incidents in North Carolina and elsewhere.
A new North Carolina survey conducted by the Elon University Poll found significant concern among residents about their personal safety in large outdoor gatherings, public transportation and public places, such as shopping malls.
The survey of 800 North Carolina adults from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, 2025, followed the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte and coincided with a Sept. 27 mass shooting at a waterfront bar in Southport, N.C.
The poll found that 61% of North Carolinians were concerned for their safety in outdoor areas with large crowds, 59% are concerned about safety on public transportation and 53% are concerned about safety in public places, such as shopping malls. In addition, 49% are concerned about safety in K-12 schools and 32% are worried about safety in churches and places of worship.
When asked about specific North Carolina cities, 49% said they would be very or somewhat concerned about their safety if spending time in Charlotte or Durham, with about 42% concerned about safety in Winston-Salem, and 41% concerned about safety in Raleigh or Greensboro.
“After high-profile violent incidents close to home, many North Carolinians are evaluating how safe they feel in the state’s major cities as well as everyday spaces, from schools to transit systems to shopping centers,” said Jason Husser director of the Elon University Poll. “Republicans tended to be much more concerned than Democrats about crime in the states’ large cities and on public transportation and in public spaces.”
After high-profile violent incidents close to home, many North Carolinians are evaluating how safe they feel in the state’s major cities as well as everyday spaces, from schools to transit systems to shopping centers.
– Professor Jason Husser, director, Elon University Poll
Citing crime levels in some major U.S. cities, President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago and Memphis, and he is considering deployments in other cities. Use of the National Guard in a law enforcement capacity in American cities was opposed by 47% of North Carolinians and supported by 42%.
There has been disagreement over whether the National Guard should be deployed to Charlotte, N.C., after the city’s police union sent a letter to Trump asking for the Guard’s help in dealing with violent crime in the city. In response, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles and several other local, state and federal elected leaders said the National Guard is not needed in Charlotte.
This survey found that North Carolinians lean against deployments of the National Guard to major cities in the state for law enforcement purposes:
| Deployment of the National Guard to these North Carolina cities: |
Oppose | Support |
| Charlotte | 47% | 43% |
| Durham | 46% | 41% |
| Raleigh | 48% | 40% |
| Greensboro | 49% | 38% |
| Winston-Salem | 48% | 38% |
Assessing Trump’s major motivations for using the National Guard in U.S. cities, 48% said a major motive for him is furthering efforts on immigration enforcement and 42% said a major motivation is to reduce crime. At the same time, 39% said the major motive for the deployments is to distract attention from other issues, 38% said a prime motive for Trump is setting a precedent for using the military for law enforcement and 35% said a major motive is that he is trying to embarrass political opponents in those cities.
“North Carolinians are torn on the idea of sending the National Guard into cities within the state and across the country,” Husser said. “They are torn between seeing the military as a necessary response to high profile crime and questioning the move’s true purpose and potential overreach. A narrow plurality leans against deployment into North Carolina cities, but opinions shift depending on the city. Support is very slightly stronger for the National Guard to police Charlotte and Durham, while opposition rises for Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The sharp partisan divide—Republicans are far more supportive than Democrats—shows that views on the Guard’s role are shaped as much by politics as by place.”
Charlie Kirk assassination and free speech
As a result of the Sept. 10, 2025, killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, 68% of North Carolinians said they expect political violence to get worse over the next year, and 61% say relations between Democrats and Republicans will deteriorate. Majorities of supporters of both parties said they felt both problems will worsen.
Public comments about the Kirk assassination have raised questions about free speech in American society. In this poll, 34% of North Carolinians say people who make public statements that celebrate Kirk’s killing should lose their jobs, while 45% oppose that. A large majority (73%) of Democrats oppose firing people with job loss for celebrating Kirk’s death, while 65% of Republicans favor job loss for those who make those kind of public statements.
Asked if people should be fired for making public statements about Kirk’s beliefs if those statements do not celebrate his death, majorities of those in both parties said that should not happen. Still, 51% said they think freedom of speech rights are likely to deteriorate over the next year, with 17% saying speech rights will get better and 33% saying there will be no change.
Poll Methodology
Access the poll topline and methodology at www.elon.edu/elonpoll. The survey was developed by the Elon University Poll and fielded by the international marketing and polling firm YouGov as an online, web-based survey, self-administered with online panels. Between September 23 and October 1, YouGov interviewed 907 North Carolina adults aged 18 and older. These respondents were then matched down to a sample of 800 to produce the final dataset.
Throughout this report, the analysis of partisan differences compares the views of Republicans plus those who lean Republican in their voting preference with Democrats plus those who lean Democratic. The margin of error for this poll (adjusted for weights) is +/-4.24%.
About the Elon University Poll
Established in 2000, the Elon University Poll conducts national and North Carolina surveys on issues of importance to voters and residents. Information from these polls is shared with media, citizens and public officials to facilitate informed public policy making through the better understanding of citizens’ opinions and attitudes. The poll is fully funded by Elon University and operates as the neutral, non-biased information resource.
The Elon University Poll is a charter member of the Transparency Initiative, a program created by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) in 2014 to educate polling firms on ways to better share how they collect and interpret their information. The Elon Poll’s voluntary participation in this initiative signifies a willingness to clearly state in its reports how questions were asked, in what order, who funded the poll and then conducted it, and a definition of the population under study, among other details.