HPU Poll: North Carolinians See Russia as Biggest Threat to U.S. National Security

High Point, N.C., Nov. 9, 2022 – In the latest High Point University Poll, many North Carolinians now see Russia as the biggest threat to the United States’ national security.

When asked which country they perceive as the single biggest threat to national security, most North Carolinians said Russia (36%), followed by China (30%). North Korea (12%) and Iran (4%) were less likely to be seen as the biggest threat to national security.

Almost half (47%) of North Carolinians said they feel Russia should be described as an adversary of the United States. Smaller proportions of North Carolinians would describe Russia as a necessary partner (16%), a rival (13%) or an ally (4%).

Less than half of North Carolinians (47%) said they have heard a lot about Russia’s war with the Ukraine. About two out of five (40%) said they had heard a little bit about the situation, and only 8% said they had heard nothing at all about this war.

A majority (50%) of North Carolinians see Russia’s war with Ukraine as a major threat to national interests, while another quarter (26%) see the Russian military invasion as a minor threat to national interests. Relatively few North Carolinians see no threat (8%) to national interests in Russia’s actions toward Ukraine.

About two out of five (42%) North Carolina residents said the Biden Administration had been very effective (12%) or somewhat effective (30%) in dealing with Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. A slightly larger percentage (45%) of people in North Carolina said the Biden Administration’s efforts to deal with Russia’s attacks have not been very effective (22%) or have been not at all effective (23%).

Nearly half (44%) of poll respondents said the Biden Administration should do more to protect Ukraine, while about 1 in 5 said the Biden Administration should let Ukraine go at it alone (22%). About one-third (34%) did not have an opinion.

Most North Carolinians said that they would support the Biden Administration taking action against Russia after its most recent invasion of Ukraine by increasing economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia (56%), sending additional arms and military supplies to the Ukrainian government (55%), accepting Ukrainian refugees into the United States (54%) or providing economic assistance to Ukraine (51%). Only about one-third (29%) would support sending American troops to the Ukraine to help the Ukrainian government defend itself against Russia.

North Carolinians were also divided in their views of the United States’ role in the world and the relative level of safety for the United States and its people in the international system. More North Carolina residents (42%) said the United States should take an active part in world affairs than the approximately one-third (36%) who said it should stay out of world affairs. More than two-thirds (71%) of North Carolinians see the world becoming more dangerous for the United States and the American people.

“Many people in North Carolina continue to be concerned about Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine,” said Dr. Martin Kifer, director of the HPU Survey Research Center and chair of the HPU political science department. “Russia is perceived as a major threat to American national security and adversary in a world that many North Carolinians see as increasingly dangerous. As the conflict continues, we learn more about how North Carolinians perceive the war and the people affected by it.”

All adults – Take an Active Part or Stay Out of Foreign Affairs (November 2022)

Now we would like to ask you some questions about foreign affairs issues. Do you think it will be best for the future of the country if we take an active part in world affairs, or if we stay out of world affairs?

Active part – 42%

Stay out – 36%

Unsure – 22%

All adults – Safer or More Dangerous World (November 2022)

Thinking about current U.S. relations with the rest of the world, would you say that the world is becoming safer or more dangerous for the U.S. and the American people?

Safer – 12%

More dangerous – 71%

Unsure – 17%

NC residents – Single Biggest National Security Threat to US (November 2022)

Which of these countries do you perceive as the single biggest threat to U.S. national security? [COUNTRIES PRESENTED IN RANDOMIZED ORDER]

Russia – 36%

China – 30%

North Korea – 12%

Iran – 4%

Some other country – 2%

Unsure – 16%

NC residents – US Relationship with Russia (November 2022)

Generally speaking, which of the following descriptions do you feel best reflects the relationship between the United States and Russia?

An ally - a country that shares our interests and values – 4%

A necessary partner - a country we must strategically cooperate with – 16%

A rival - a country with which we need to compete – 13%

An adversary - a country we are in conflict with – 47%

Unsure – 20%

NC residents – How Much Heard about Russian War (November 2022)

How much have you read or heard about Russia’s war with Ukraine?

A lot – 47%

A little – 40%

Nothing at all – 8%

Unsure – 6%

NC residents – How Much Threat to U.S. Interests is Russian War (November 2022)

How much of a threat to U.S. interests is Russia’s war with Ukraine?

A major threat – 50%

A minor threat – 26%

Not a threat – 8%

Unsure – 17%

NC residents – Biden Administration Effectiveness Against Russian Invasion (November 2022)

How effective do you think the Biden Administration has been in dealing with Russia's attacks on Ukraine?

Very effective – 12%

Somewhat effective – 30%

Not very effective – 22%

Not at all effective – 23%

Unsure – 14%

NC residents – Biden Administration Protecting Ukraine (November 2022)

Would you say the Biden Administration should do more to protect Ukraine from Russia or let Ukraine go it alone against Russia?

Biden Administration should do more – 44%

Biden Administration should let Ukraine go it alone – 22%

Unsure – 34%

NC residents – Biden Administration Actions (November 2022)

Would you say you support or oppose each of these actions the Biden Administration may or may not have taken against Russia after its most recent invasion of Ukraine? [PRESENTED IN RANDOMIZED ORDER]

The most recent HPU Poll of 1,009 North Carolina residents was fielded by the High Point University Survey Research Center on Oct. 19 through Oct. 26, as an online survey using a panel of respondents recruited and maintained by Dynata. Dynata sent invitations to its panel of N.C. respondents and the SRC collected responses on its Qualtrics platform. The SRC did all data analysis. The online sample is from a panel of respondents, and their participation does not adhere to usual assumptions associated with random selection. Therefore, it is not appropriate to assign a classic margin of sampling error for the results. In this case, the SRC provides a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points to account for a traditional 95% confidence interval for the estimates (plus or minus 3.0 percentage points) and a design effect of 1.1 (based on the weighting). The data is weighted toward population estimates for age, gender, race/ethnicity and education based on U.S. Census numbers for North Carolina. Factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional errors into the findings of opinion polls.

Further results and methodological details from the most recent survey and past surveys can be found at the Survey Research Center website. The materials online include past press releases as well as memos summarizing the findings (including approval ratings) for each poll since 2010.

The HPU Poll reports methodological details in accordance with the standards set out by AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, and the HPU Survey Research Center is a Charter Member of the Initiative. See more information here.

You can follow the HPU Poll on Twitter here.

Dr. Martin Kifer, chair and associate professor of political science, serves as the director of the HPU Poll, and Brian McDonald is the associate director of the HPU Poll.