NCLCVF Releases New Results from Polling; Includes Oversample of Counties Impacted by Hurricane Helene
The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation (NCLCVF) shares the results of a new poll on the impact of Hurricane Helene, the increase in extreme weather, and the growth of data centers in North Carolina. The poll, which includes an oversample of voters from western NC counties impacted by Hurricane Helene, shows strong recognition by North Carolinians statewide on the increase of extreme weather events.
Download the poll results here
Toplines/Major Takeaways
A large majority of North Carolina voters (69%) say extreme weather events are increasing in North Carolina, while just 27% say they are staying the same. This compares to 58% who said they were increasing and 36% staying the same in May 2024, a net increase of 20% in just over a year. Significant gains in those who say extreme weather events are increasing occurred among Republicans (16%), residents of western NC (21%), and White small town/rural voters (19%).
With regard to the impact of Hurricane Helene, it was seen as having a major impact, with two in three saying it had a major impact statewide, but particularly in the areas that were hit the hardest, where 91% say it had a major impact in their communities. Most North Carolinians believe the state did what it could to prepare for Helene, while a slim majority believe the federal government could have done more.
In terms of recovery, it remains deeply felt statewide with 25% saying they believe the state of North Carolina has mostly recovered and 10% believe western NC has mostly recovered. Only 5% of respondents in Helene impacted counties say western NC has mostly recovered and just 32% say their local community has mostly recovered.
“As more and more people become aware of extreme weather in our state, the more we can prepare and build resilient communities,” said Carrie Clark, executive director for NCLCVF. “We are hopeful this growing awareness will lead to stronger policies and protections for North Carolinians. Not surprisingly, this poll also shows the significant impact of Hurricane Helene, from which we are clearly still recovering.”
Finally, a majority (57%) of North Carolina voters believe companies behind new data centers should pay for the expansion of energy infrastructure needed to support them. When they are informed data centers require an extremely large amount of electricity and water to operate, only 11% of voters say that the NC state government or taxpayers should pay for the expanded energy infrastructure.
Poll Details
The poll was conducted by Hart Research, one of the premiere research firms in the United States. It was an online survey of 1,126 registered voters in North Carolina, including an oversample of 340 registered voters in counties impacted by Hurricane Helene, and was fielded July 22-29, 2025, with a margin of error of +/-2.92% (larger for oversample). The poll also includes the results of online qualitative research conducted with swing voters in counties impacted by Hurricane Helene. Prior results cited in the research were also from polling conducted by Hart Research for the NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation using similar phrasing. For more than five decades, Hart Research has been at the forefront of monitoring and tracking public opinion on the most pressing issues of the day. Via thousands of qualitative and quantitative research projects, we have enabled major organizations across the public, private, and non-profit sectors understand and harness public opinion to help forward their agendas. A mainstay of Hart Research’s work is our regular bipartisan public opinion polling on behalf of NBC News and CNBC’s quarterly All-America Economic Survey.