The survey is a component of a biennial report from the Office of Economic Development that aims to show the positive economic impact that UNC has on the state.
Serving North Carolina is part of the University's mission, which has been widely considered as repeated budget cuts at the state level have made officials reconsider many of UNC's priorities, officials say.
Next year's budget cuts also could hurt the University as the state faces at least a $1.5 billion shortfall.
University officials say they will be able to better defend UNC's funding if they are armed with data backing up the University's benefits to the state.
"(The survey) helps distinguish this work from a run-of-the-mill analysis that other universities do," said Michael Luger, OED director.
"It has a potential impact of telling the legislature what UNC contributes in terms of finance, human resources and new technological development," said Jun Koo, a research associate at OED. "It's very, very critical."
The surveys were sent out in a mass e-mail to the entire campus community, asking for participation.
Luger said the quality of the report is dependent on the University community's cooperation in filling out these surveys.
"The richness of what we do relies on a good response from the University community," he said.