PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

Some findings of the current survey:

• An overwhelming majority of Californians (79%) agree that Barack Obama will be a strong and capable president, and 81 percent think he and Congress can unite and accomplish a lot in the coming year.
• A record-high number of Californians, 75 percent, say the state is heading in the wrong direction, and 77 percent expect bad economic times in the year ahead.
• For the first time, a majority of Californians support a budget reform allowing a 55-percent majority of state legislators to pass an annual budget, instead of the two-thirds majority now required.

This is the 94th PPIC Statewide Survey and the 34th in the Californians and Their Government survey series, which is conducted to examine the social, economic, and political trends that influence public policy preferences and ballot choices. It is supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.