The Geography of Republicans in North Carolina: Voter Registration and Income

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine if the stereotype that Republicans are affluent is accurate; accordingly, the hypothesis is that median household income is positively correlated to the number of registered Republicans at the county level in North Carolina. Data on the number of registered Republicans and the total number of registered voters were obtained from the North Carolina State Board of Elections (2002). Median household income data was provided by the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (2002). The mean percentage of registered Republicans by county for North Carolina in 2002 was 31 percent with a high of 72 percent in Mitchell County and a low of 7 percent in Northampton County. The Spearman's Rank correlation coefficient for the percent registered Republicans and median household income of all North Carolina counties was 0.47 at the 1 % significance level suggesting a moderate associational relationship exists between the two variables. However, the relationship between Republican affiliation and household income was not straightforward. Regional differences and nuances uncovered in this study are explained further in a discussion about the political history of the state.