Easley received a 53 percent approval rating, according to a survey released earlier this month by Elon University's Institute for Politics and Public Affairs. Only 20 percent of those polled disapprove of Easley's job.
The survey randomly sampled 713 people and has a 3.76 percent margin of error.
In his first year in office, Easley has had to declare a state of fiscal emergency twice to contend with the state's bleak economic situation. He also supported a $1 billion tax increase that the legislature approved last fall.
Sharon Spray, director of the Elon Poll and a political science professor at the university, said most people do not fault Easley for the budget crisis and the state's economic position.
Spray said Easley, a Democrat, received a strong vote of confidence from people who identified themselves as Democrats, but few other people overall expressed a strong opinion about his performance so far.
"Easley had strong support in his own party, but most (other) people moderately supported him," she said.
Spray added that few people strongly disapproved of Easley.
Easley's Press Secretary Fred Hartman said the governor has a strong approval rating because of his goals for the state. "I think people clearly understand the governor's vision for the state," he said. "I think they respect the job he's doing."
Hartman added that Easley has not faltered in his leadership when faced with unpopular solutions to a difficult problem. "When you're elected governor you're elected to do it in both good and bad times," he said.
