Bladen and Wayne County residents embrace agriculture, pork production and renewable energy generation
RALEIGH (April 3, 2023) — Bladen and Wayne County residents feel positive about their local communities, according to a survey of 500 registered voters conducted in March 2023. The poll found that 93% view their community as a good, very good, or great place to live.
“Voters in these two counties — including those in the more populated Goldsboro community — embrace the rural and agricultural nature of these counties,” said Pat McFerron, president of CHS & Associates, a national research firm that has been providing trusted data and analysis since 1989.
The study shows that residents from all walks of life rate their area as good, very good, or great, including Republicans (93%), Democrats (95%), military families (91%), Caucasians (92%), Blacks (94%), and those across income and age spectrums are all very positive about their communities.
“In today’s political environment, at times it is tough to find even neighbors who agree on anything, but in these agriculturally influenced counties we see a cohesion seldom found in more metropolitan areas,” McFerron stated.
“The people and the quiet rural nature of this area is what folks here find most appealing. When asked to describe what they like, words like ‘quiet, good, people, neighbors, friendly, nice, peaceful, family, country, and community’ are oft repeated. So, it’s no surprise that voters here embrace agriculture in general and the pork industry in particular.”
The research shows that 76% of voters say that the pork industry has a positive impact. Only 14% hold the opposite view.
The study showed 78% of men, 75% of women, 80% of those under 45 years of age, 87% of Republicans, 75% of military families, and other groups overwhelming see the pork industry as having a positive influence.
When voters are asked why they view the pork industry as a positive, its economic impact is front and center. It is the top issue for 50% of those who say it is positive. Other positive attributes mentioned were pork as a desired food source (20%) and the fact that it promotes a particular way of life (17%).
“It is very clear that voters here embrace what the industry provides, both in product and the economic benefit it creates,” McFerron said.
The survey also gauged public opinion toward proposed biogas projects that will enable pig farmers to generate renewable natural gas on their farms. The survey found overwhelming support for RNG projects — 75% supporting them with 10% opposing. This support of efforts by farmers to cover lagoons, capture gases and generate renewable energy is stronger than the already high marks we recorded in a similar study in Sampson and Duplin counties in 2021.
Other notable survey findings include:
70% of respondents engage in outdoor activities on at least a weekly basis with more than half enjoying outdoor activities several times a week (32%) or every day (21%). Among those under 45 years of age, 79% are doing something outdoors on at least a weekly basis.
More than eight out of ten residents rate the agricultural industry as very (54%) or somewhat (27%) positive, compared with 11 percent who view the industry’s impact as negative.
Just over a quarter (27%) of the voters reported living within two miles of a hog farm. Of those, 82 percent said they had never experienced any issues related to the farm nearest their house. Less than 7% of residents say they have experienced issues with odor from hog farms, and this group still expressed positive sentiments about the industry.
As was the case with the 2021 study in Sampson and Duplin counties, the survey also revealed some misunderstandings about North Carolina’s pork industry. One example: 16 percent of voters believe that the number of hog farms in their community has increased over the past decade. In reality, a moratorium on the construction of new hog farms in North Carolina has been in place since 1997.
Many of the findings here — especially concerning enjoying their community and endorsement of the pork industry — echo the findings of the 2021 study in Sampson and Duplin counties. It is clear from these studies that voters in high-producing counties embrace the industry and appreciate its positive impact.
This research was paid for by the North Carolina Pork Council.
The responses of 500 registered voters in Bladen and Wayne counties were collected by live agents on mobile (43%) and landline (38%) telephones and through a text-to-web system (19%). The confidence interval associated with this sample is that 95% of the time the results are within 4.3% of the true values.
About the NC Pork Council
The NC Pork Council is the voice of North Carolina’s pork industry, representing family farmers and industry partners committed to producing high-quality pork in a safe, sustainable, and responsible manner. North Carolina is the nation’s third largest pork producer, with more than 2,100 permitted hog farms that raise nearly nine million hogs annually. The pork industry contributes more than $10 billion a year to the state’s economy. Through advocacy, education, and community engagement, the NC Pork Council promotes responsible farming practices and works to ensure the continued success of the NC pork industry. www.ncpork.org.
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