As the Internet has grown, so has the ability of Americans to access information quickly and easily. But according to the latest Elon University Poll, a majority of North Carolinians are unaware of how many government documents are open to the public.

Of the 732 North Carolinians surveyed in the latest poll, 65 percent were unaware of sunshine laws that allow them to access government documents and public records.

In addition, 41 percent said they thought government has become more secretive in the past five years.

Jason Husser, assistant director of the Elon University Poll and assistant professor of political science, said the level of public access to this information is globally and historically remarkable, and the poll’s results show a lack of appreciation for this access within the state.

“Rights that people don’t realize they have can fade away more easily,” Husser said.

In 2009, the Elon University Poll asked a similar question. Four years ago, 63 percent of respondents were unaware of sunshine laws, showing little gain in awareness since then.

But Husser said that the people who need access to government and public records – lawyers, people who work in real estate and journalists – tend to know more about such laws.

Kenneth Fernandez, director of the Elon University Poll, said these results are not a perfect measure of how much someone knows about sunshine laws, because the poll puts people on the spot. They may know about government openness but not the phrase sunshine law.

“It’s hard to politely ask someone if they know something,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said these results are still useful when observed and compared over time to see changes in public perception of issues.

Trust in government

When residents were asked about their level of trust in government, 48 percent said they trusted their local government at least most of the time, compared to 14 percent who said they trusted the federal government at least most of the time. Husser said that the lack of trust in government and the lack of information on sunshine laws are connected.

“If more people realized the level of access they have, they might have more trust in government,” Husser said.

He also said that the lack of trust in government could lead to some of the same issues that are now causing distrust.

“If trust in government is high, it’s easier to get things done,” Husser said.

Husser and Fernandez attributed a couple of factors to the comparatively high trust in local government but low trust in federal government, a notable one being proximity and familiarity.

“You’re more likely to shake hands with a local official or live next door to the mayor,” Fernandez said.

Similarly, while the poll shows an 8 percent approval rating for Congress, individual representatives are often much more popular in their own districts.

It’s important to consider the difference in scale between local governments and the federal government, according to Husser.

“Local government is held accountable by a few news outlets, so there’s much less scrutiny than you’d see for the federal government,” Husser said.

What should be open?

Questions about what public records should be open for people to see were also included in the poll. Sixty-three percent said that voting records and party affiliation, which are already open to the public, should not be accessible, and 58 percent said that work emails of government employees should not be made public.

“If you said Congress members, you might have gotten a very different response,” Fernandez said.

Over 70 percent of respondents said government employee salaries and criminal records for all citizens should be made public. Sixty percent of North Carolinians said they were in favor of gun applications being made public.

“When people hear something related to safety, there’s a reaction,” Husser said. “If we had primed people on the Second Amendment or NRA talking points, we might have seen a harsher response.”

In North Carolina, the most requested government documents are real estate records, birth certificates and criminal and police records.