Elon University poll finds most don’t support sending National Guard to Charlotte
Nearly half of 800 North Carolinians who participated in an Elon University public safety poll in September said they would oppose National Guard deployment to Charlotte.
The survey, conducted between Sept. 23 and Oct. 1, saw respondents give their thoughts on crime in several North Carolina cities and the impact of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s death.
The results showed 47% of respondents oppose the National Guard coming to Charlotte for law enforcement purposes. Forty-three percent support it while 10% are unsure.
The majority of respondents were also opposed to National Guard deployment in Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
While most respondents are opposed to guard deployment, a local police union president in Charlotte has requested it. On Oct. 2, Dan Redford, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, published a letter requesting the National Guard be sent to the Queen City to help with staffing shortages at CMPD and because of homicides, which are down this year compared to 2024.
The request came as President Donald Trump deployed guardsmen to Washington, D.C., in August and made other attempts to send them to other cities.
According to the Elon University poll, overall, 47% of respondents opposed guard involvement in U.S. cities, while 42% supported it, and 11% were unsure.
Elon poll asked about immigration in NC
In terms of enforcing federal immigration laws, 46% of respondents said they think state, county and local law enforcement agencies should assist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Forty percent said they shouldn’t and 15% were unsure.
Following the death of Kirk on Sept. 10 in Utah, 68% of people said they thought political violence would get worse over the next year. Forty-five percent of people said they didn’t think people should lose their jobs over celebrating Kirk’s death, but 34% said they should and 21% were unsure.
Do people in N.C. feel safe?
The survey was conducted following the death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train on Aug. 22, and coincided with the mass shooting at a waterfront bar in Southport, where three people were killed and eight injured.
While few respondents felt very or somewhat concerned about personal safety at their homes or churches, 61% said they felt very or somewhat concerned about their safety in outdoor areas with large crowds. Fifty-three percent were very concerned about their public safety in public places, like shopping malls, and 59% were on public transportation.
Respondents were almost split on their safety in schools, with 49% saying they felt very or somewhat concerned and 51% saying they were only a little concerned or not at all concerned.
In Charlotte, 49% said they were very or somewhat concerned for their personal safety from crimes. 45% said they were only a little or not at all concerned, while 5% said they were unsure.
New Charlotte crime data
Homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies were all down in the first nine months of this year compared to last, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
CMPD published crime stats between January and September of this year on Wednesday, showing crime has decreased overall 8%. Violent crime, which includes homicides, rapes and robberies, has fallen 20%.
There were nine homicides between Jan. 1 and Oct. 5 in uptown this year, compared to three in the same time last year. Homicides overall have been declining in Charlotte.
Between January and September, there were 62 homicides in Charlotte, according to CMPD on Wednesday. That is down from 82 in the same time period in 2024.
