Poll: Majority in N.C. dislike Obama's handling of economy

The Elon University Poll surveyed 584 adults statewide from Sept. 20 to Sept. 23. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

While 51 percent of those polled said they disapprove of Obama's efforts to restart the U.S. economy, 44 percent said they approve. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said his policies have made the economy worse, compared with 27 percent who said he has helped improve the economy and 34 percent who said the policies haven't had any effect yet.

Forty-nine percent of respondents said they don't want the government to spend any more money on the economic stimulus effort, while 38 percent support additional stimulus spending. Forty-six percent said the stimulus has had a positive effect on the U.S. economy, while 41 percent said the stimulus has hurt the economy.

Almost half of those polled said they expect their personal financial situation to remain the same in the coming months, while 27 percent expect their situation will improve and 23 percent said they expect things to get worse.

The outlook for North Carolina's economy is bleaker, with 30 percent of those polled predicting worse times in the coming months. Forty-three percent say they expect the state economy to remain about the same, and 25 percent say they expect things will improve.