Nov 5 (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.

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

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

* 47% of voters in North Carolina said their family's financial situation was worse off than it was four years ago, compared with 20% who said so in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 23% said they were better off than they were four years ago, compared with 45% in 2020. 30% 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.

* 58% of voters in North Carolina said they didn't have college degree, compared with 64% in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 42% had a degree, compared with 36% in 2020.

* 52% of voters in North Carolina were women, compared with 56% in Edison Research's 2020 exit poll. 48% were men, compared with 44% in 2020.

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

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

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

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