NC likes Krispy Kreme over Dunkin Donuts and Raleigh over Charlotte, poll finds

North Carolinians are divided about basketball, barbecue and the bandwagon for the Carolina Panthers, according to a recent poll.

Every year, left-leaning Public Policy Polling conducts a poll on non-political issues in North Carolina. This year, 953 people were polled between Jan. 13 and 16. The poll has a margin of error of 3.2 percent.

Among the findings:

Sports

Of those polled, 33 percent are Tar Heel basketball fans, compared to Duke’s 19 percent and N.C. State’s 16 percent. About 5 percent said they’re Wake Forest fans. Among the respondents, 27 percent said they don’t have a preference for a local college team.

Fans of the big two are also pretty happy with their coaches. Among Duke fans, 84 percent approve of Coach Mike Krzyzewski, while 5 percent said they disapprove. For UNC fans, 81 percent approve of Coach Roy Williams and 6 percent disapprove. Wolfpack Coach Mark Gottfried had a 45 percent approval rating at the time of the poll, but that may have changed after State beat Duke on the road, 84-82, Monday night.

Duke shooting guard Grayson Allen is polarizing. While 60 percent of those polled said they’re not sure how they feel about him, 28 percent said they look on him unfavorably and 12 percent said they like him.

A whole lot of Carolina Panthers fans abandoned the bandwagon this year. Football loyalty to the Panthers among North Carolinians polled fell from 58 percent (from last year’s poll) to 44 percent this year.

But the Panthers are still the most loved team in the state, with no one other NFL team hitting double digits. Cowboys got 8 percent support, and the Steelers and Redskins both had 5 percent. The Superbowl-bound Patriots got 4 percent. Panthers Coach Ron Rivera has a 70 percent approval rating among those polled.

Food

Barbecue is perhaps North Carolina’s greatest food debate, according to the poll, with eastern style beating out western 42 percent to 31 percent. When political party affiliation is taken into account, eastern style is preferred among Republicans 40 percent to 33 percent and among Democrats 39 percent to 34 percent.

North Carolinians have strong doughnut preferences, according to the poll. Krispy Kreme won out over Dunkin Donuts 64 percent to 23 percent. And that divide is aligned with where poll participants are from. Natives prefer Krispy Kreme 78 percent to 13 percent, while those who moved to North Carolina prefer Krispy Kreme 46 percent to 36 percent. Krispy Kreme got its start in Winston-Salem.

City rankings

The poll also asked participants to rank how they view the state’s major cities.

Wilmington took the top spot with a 69 percent favorability ranking, followed by Raleigh at 62 percent, Asheville at 61, and Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Chapel Hill all at 56 percent.

Rankings of cities, in order:

▪ Wilmington, 69 percent favorable.

▪ Raleigh, 62 percent favorable.

▪ Asheville, 61 percent favorable.

▪ Winston-Salem, 56 percent favorable.

▪ Greensboro, 56 percent favorable.

▪ Chapel Hill, 56 percent favorable.

▪ Charlotte, 55 percent favorable.

▪ Cary, 43 percent favorable.

▪ Greenville, 39 percent favorable.

▪ Durham, 38 percent favorable.

▪ Fayetteville, 34 percent favorable.

▪ Carrboro, 28 percent favorable.

Demographics

Of those polled, 47 percent said they voted for Donald Trump and 43 percent voted for Hillary Clinton in the most recent presidential election. Trump won the state in November, with 50.5 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 46.7 percent.

Twenty-nine percent said they identify as liberal, 31 percent as moderate and 41 percent as conservative. Forty-one percent said they were Democrats, 33 percent Republican and 25 percent Independent/other.

Fifty-three percent were women and 47 percent were men. Seventy-two percent said they were white, 21 percent African American and 7 percent other. Forty percent of those polled were 46-65, 26 percent older than 65, 10 percent 18-29 and 24 percent 30-45. Fifty-nine percent of those polled have lived in North Carolina their whole lives and 41 percent moved to the state.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 6:15 PM with the headline "NC likes Krispy Kreme over Dunkin Donuts and Raleigh over Charlotte, poll finds."