With the state's unemployment rate at 10.8 percent, it's little wonder residents remain pessimistic about the economy.
According to a new Elon University Poll of 703 state residents, 73 percent said they expected the economy to either stay about the same or get worse. Three quarters of the respondents said they economy had affected them personally.
According to the data:
47 percent have lost money in the stock market
41 percent have seen the value of their homes decline
38 percent have seen their retirement plan lose more than 25 percent of its value
32 percent have had their hours reduced at work
20 percent have had trouble paying their mortgage
20 percent have lost a job
18 percent have lost medical coverage or medical insurance.
The poll was conducted Oct. 26-29 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Read more about recent Elon polls here.
Mary Cornatzer has worked at The News & Observer for more than 25 years, covering the local music industry, state movie industry and travel. She has been the paper's Business editor since 2000. Contact Mary at 919-829-4755 or 
