(Reuters) -Democrat Kamala Harris faced Republican Donald Trump on Tuesday in the U.S. presidential election, with the two candidates vying to attract support after staking positions on issues including abortion, the economy and foreign policy.

Following are preliminary results from an exit poll conducted by Edison Research. Results will be updated as additional poll responses are gathered.

* Harris wins 55% of women voters in North Carolina; Trump wins 43%. Trump’s share is down 3 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 61% of white voters in North Carolina; Harris wins 39%. Trump’s share is down 5 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 87% of Black voters in North Carolina; Trump wins 12%. Trump’s share is up 5 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 65% of white men voters in North Carolina; Harris wins 34%. Trump’s share is down 4 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 43% of white women voters in North Carolina; Trump wins 56%. Trump’s share is down 8 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 48% of voters age 18-29 in North Carolina; Harris wins 51%. Trump’s share is up 8 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 47% of voters age 65+ in North Carolina; Trump wins 52%. Trump’s share is down 7 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 52% of voters age 45+ in North Carolina; Harris wins 47%. Trump’s share is down 3 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 53% of voters under age 45 in North Carolina; Trump wins 45%. Trump’s share is up 3 percentage points from a 2020 exit poll.

* Trump wins 56% of voters without a college degree in North Carolina; Harris wins 43%. Trump’s share is up 1 percentage point from a 2020 exit poll.

* Harris wins 58% of voters with college degrees in North Carolina; Trump wins 41%. Trump’s share is unchanged from a 2020 exit poll.

* 43% of voters in North Carolina said they had a favorable view of Trump, compared to 47% who said so in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 55% viewed him unfavorably, compared to 51% in 2020.

* 48% of voters in North Carolina said they had a favorable view of Harris, compared to 50% who said the same of Biden in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 50% viewed her unfavorably, compared to 47% who viewed Biden that way in 2020.

* 36% of voters in North Carolina said the economy mattered most in deciding how to vote in the presidential election. 12% said immigration, 13% abortion, 32% the state of democracy, 4% foreign policy.

* 46% of voters in North Carolina said their family’s financial situation was worse off than it was four years ago, compared to 20% who said so in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 24% said they were better off than they were four years ago, compared to 45% in 2020. 29% said their financial situation was unchanged.

* 73% of voters in North Carolina said they think democracy in the U.S. is threatened. 25% said it is secure.

* 59% of voters in North Carolina said they didn’t have college degree, compared to 64% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 41% had a degree, compared to 36% in 2020.

* 53% of voters in North Carolina were women, compared to 56% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 47% were men, compared to 44% in 2020.

* 69% of voters in North Carolina were white, compared to 65% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 19% were Black, compared to 23% in 2020. 8% were Hispanic, compared to 5% in 2020.

* 34% of voters in North Carolina were white men, compared to 29% in Edison Research’s 2020 exit poll. 35% were white women, compared to 36% in 2020.

* 8% of voters in North Carolina were Black men, compared to 9% in 2020. 11% were Black women, compared to 14% in 2020.

* 4% of voters in North Carolina were Hispanic men, compared to 3% in 2020. 4% were Hispanic women, compared to 3% in 2020.

Exit polling reflects just a slice of the tens of million of people who have voted, both before and on Election Day, and the preliminary results are subject to change through the course of the night as more people are surveyed.

National exit-poll results provide an important window into the thinking of the nation, but may not directly align with the seven battleground states expected to decide the presidential election.

Exit polls capture variations among turnout in various demographic groups, such as men vs women voters or college-educated vs non-college educated voters, and can provide insights into how turnout has changed from past elections.

One key advantage of exit polls is all the people surveyed, by definition, are people who cast ballots in this election.

(Reporting by Washington newsroom; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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