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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Moms Rising stated on July 13, 2016: \"In North Carolina, paid family leave is more popular than college basketball.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" mostly-true/4ac7c61540eff5211f6a04d98a6bc93a.jpg.\\") ![\\"mostly- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Families * Sports * Women * Workers * North Carolina * Moms Rising ![\\"UNC](\\" UNC forward Brice Johnson can\'t believe it By Will Doran July 15, 2016 # Is paid family leave more popular than college basketball in North Carolina? Like many in North Carolina, we’re excited for the start of college basketball season four months from now. But in the meantime, we decided to take a break from more serious fact checks about the economy and HB2 to take a look at a political claim talking about – you guessed it – college basketball. The liberal advocacy group MomsRising was talking a big game on Twitter recently, pushing for paid family leave policies. They said the idea that businesses should pay workers when they have to miss work for major family events – the birth of a child, taking care of an ill relative, etc. – is more popular than the unofficial religion of the Tar Heel state. \"In North Carolina, paid family leave is more popular than college basketball,\" the group declared, alongside a photo from a UNC-Duke game. That’s a high bar to clear in a state that has sent a team to five of the last 12 men’s college basketball national championship games. So we wondered if it’s true, or the political equivalent of claiming Christian Laettner is a beloved figure in Kentucky. \"There’s nothing more North Carolina than basketball,\" said Beth Messersmith, the N.C. campaign director for MomsRising who came up with the basketball analogy. \"If you can be more popular than basketball in North Carolina, then you know you’re onto something.\" Support for college basketball First things first. Just how popular is college basketball in North Carolina? Some alumni of UNC, Duke, Wake Forest and N.C. State may be surprised to learn that not all North Carolinians are crazy for college hoops. According to a poll taken just before last season by Public Policy Polling, 52 percent of North Carolinians consider themselves college basketball fans. In another PPP poll commissioned in early July by MomsRising and other groups that mostly focused on paid leave – the same poll their Twitter claim referenced – college basketball received 53 percent support. Yet even just two years prior, in 2013, 59 percent of North Carolina respondents told PPP they were college basketball fans. Other polls have documented the sport’s declining popularity nationwide. Gallup, for instance, found that while the number of fans didn’t drop between 2001 and 2012, the number of people saying they were definitely not fans (as opposed to on the fence) has grown. And according to the Harris Poll, college basketball was perhaps at its height in 1989, when 10 percent of Americans said it was their favorite sport. In 2015, that number was 4 percent. Time Magazine analyzed the sport’s declining popularity last year and attributed it to a number of factors, including low scoring, conference realignment that ended some popular rivalries, and a schedule that forces it to compete for attention with both college and professional football. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 2, 2024 in an Instagram reel NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles endorsed Kamala Harris for president. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 4, 2024 Support for paid leave Let’s now take a break to watch some of our favorite college basketball moments, then get back to the subject at hand: paid leave policies. According to one United Nations study of 170 countries, only the U.S. and the tiny Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea don’t require paid family leave. PolitiFact has previously checked several people claiming the U.S. is lagging behind the rest of the world in its paid leave policies; it was particularly popular with Bernie Sanders during his run for the Democratic presidential nomination. It could be expensive. PolitiFact’s \"Obameter,\" which tracks promises made by the president, noted that he has failed in his promise to spend $1.5 billion to start paid family and medical leave in the United States. In North Carolina, the poll from Public Policy Polling that MomsRising commissioned found 49 percent of people strongly favor paid family leave and another 19 percent somewhat favor it, for a total of 68 percent support. To jog your memory, college basketball has recently been polling about 15 percentage points lower than that. We don’t know the partisan breakdown of this poll, but in national polls, paid leave typically has bipartisan support – although moreso among liberals – and among politicians, it’s far more popular among Democrats than Republicans. Because of that, it’s worth noting that the poll in question was paid for by a liberal group pushing for more paid leave policies, and that Public Policy Polling is itself a liberal-leaning organization. So take these numbers with a grain of salt. But unfortunately, there has been little to no other statewide polling on the topic. Public Policy Polling – which does polls for private clients as well as for public distribution – has never before asked about paid family leave in a public poll. Similarly, we weren’t able to find any other statewide polling on the subject (although if you know of any, please let us know). But nationally, the polling does mirror what PPP found in North Carolina. In 2015, an AP-GfK poll found two-thirds of Americans supported paid family leave – about the same as the recent North Carolina poll, but lacking the political biases, and an AP-NORC poll two months ago found 75 percent support among people age 40 and older. A New York Times-CBS poll, in 2015, found 80 percent support for paid family leave nationally. Our ruling MomsRising said that \"paid family leave is more popular than college basketball\" in North Carolina. There is little polling on this topic at the state level, but what there is does line up with national polling. Since data is sparse but does support the claim, we rate it Mostly True. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources PolitiFact, Oct. 14, 2015, \"Bernie Sanders says \'every other major country\' has family paid leave except United States\" PolitiFact, The Obameter: \"Provide a $1.5 billion fund to help states launch programs for paid family and medical leave\" Twitter, MomsRising post, July 13, 2016 Public Policy Polling, August 2013, \"A New North Carolina: Tobacco and moonshine relics of the past\" Public Policy Polling, July 2016, polling for MomsRising on paid leave, basketball and other topics Public Policy Polling, September 2015, \"2015 N.C. Cultural Poll\" Time, March 14, 2015, \"College Basketball Has Lost Its Soul\" Associated Press, May 2016, \"Poll shows strong support for paid family leave programs\" The Harris Poll, January 2016, \"Pro Football is Still America’s Favorite Sport\" Gallup, polling on American sports opinions 2000-2015 Associated Press, February 2015, \"AP-GfK Poll: Most Americans favor a higher minimum wage\" The New York Times, June 3, 2015, \"Americans’ Views on Income Inequality and Workers’ Rights\" United Nations, International Labour Organization, 2014, \"Maternity and paternity at work: Law and practice across the world\" ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Will Doran ![](\\" ![](\\" Kathy Manning stated on October 23, 2018 in a debate: \"I\'m not taking any corporate PAC money.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • October 28, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Richard Burr stated on June 8, 2017 in an interview: \"This is not the first time (the Russians) have been involved in our elections.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • June 20, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Richard Burr stated on June 13, 2017 in his opening statement before Jeff Session\'s testimony: Says the Senate Intelligence Committee has held 10 public hearings this year, \"more than double that held by the committee in any recent year.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Will Doran • June 14, 2017 ![](\\" rnc___/d59d65e4f38c55a43c66f113beb66c95.jpg\\") ![](\\" rnc___/0d3545b0ac8f06c33acac22bf2805e17.jpg\\") North Carolina Republican Party stated on June 8, 2017 in in an official statement: Says former FBI Director James Comey admitted to leaking classified information. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Will Doran • June 9, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" David Lewis stated on June 1, 2017 in a tweet: \"The waiting list for Pre-K is over in the House budget.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Will Doran • June 6, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Thom Tillis stated on May 19, 2017 in a press release supporting the Back The Blue Act of 2017: \"Last year was one of the deadliest years ever for law enforcement officers.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Will Doran • May 23, 2017 ![](\\" emailer/3def8495970cc07eac4830a436f0dde8.jpg\\") ![](\\" emailer/8326b12f6f63c036e56624abe598b6a8.jpg\\") Chain email stated on May 11, 2017 in a chain email: Says there are thousands of registered voters over 110 years old in North Carolina, including one who is 219 years old. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Will Doran • May 18, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ted Budd stated on May 4, 2017: Says if the AHCA replaces Obamacare it will \"significantly reduce insurance premiums in\" North Carolina. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • May 10, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Robert Pittenger stated on May 2, 2017 in a written statement: Says the Republican plan to replace Obamacare, \"absolutely does not eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • May 4, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on April 20, 2017 in posts on social media: \"After prohibition ended, police deaths didn\'t reach 200 a year again until the year Nixon declared war on drugs.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • April 24, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Richard Burr stated on April 18, 2017 in a speech in Youngsville, NC: \"The pace of missile development between (Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un) has increased the testing about twenty-fold.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • April 24, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Jay Chaudhuri stated on April 5, 2017 in an interview explaining his bill: Says the T.R.U.M.P. Act, which would force presidential candidates to release their tax returns to run in North Carolina, \"has a lot of support – by a majority of North Carolinians and members of both parties.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • April 19, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Greg Murphy stated on April 10, 2017 in a speech: \"Every day, four North Carolinians die from a medication or drug overdose.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Will Doran • April 13, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Caitlyn Jenner stated on March 31, 2017: Says North Carolina\'s replacement for HB2 \"orders NC cities to discriminate against LGBT people until at least 2020 and unfair ‘bathroom bans’ remain.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Will Doran • April 4, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on March 27, 2017: \"The Notebook is finally getting a sequel. Producers of the upcoming film confirmed .... that filming will begin in Jacksonville, North Carolina this summer.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Will Doran • April 2, 2017 ### Is paid family leave more popular than college basketball in North Carolina? * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania: Vice President Kamala Harris “even wants to legalize fentanyl.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" House Majority PAC stated on September 9, 2024 in a television ad: Laurie Buckhout is “trying to get to Congress to pass a national abortion ban, allowing politicians to ban abortions with no exceptions and prosecute women if they get an abortion, treating women right here like criminals.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump Jr. stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: “Less than three months ago, Kamala Harris and her administration blocked 300,000 unvetted Haitian migrants from being deported out of our country.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach \"while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts: “Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a post: “Olympic boxer Imane Khelif fails gender test, stripped of all titles, lifetime ban and $25 million prize money revoked!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 30, 2024 in a press conference in Georgia: Georgia Gov. 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Jon Tester “voted to give taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • September 30, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. 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In North Carolina paid family leave is more popular than college basketball