Strict environmental regulations are worth the cost to over half of Californians, and well over half favor the state making its own energy policies separate from federal policies. Survey analyst Lauren Mora shared these and other key insights from PPIC’s latest survey, Californians and the Environment, in a briefing last week.

In line with a belief in strong regulation and independent policy, about 6 in 10 Californians support a law that would have the state generate 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2045. But the same share are unwilling to pay more for electricity generated by those renewable sources.

Support is strong for laws that advance renewable energy projects such as wind and solar and that reduce greenhouse emissions, Mora explained. “But it doesn’t mean Californians are willing to bear the cost.”

Affordability has been top-of-mind in Sacramento and for Californians in recent PPIC surveys, “so it’s not surprising to see less than half of Californians willing to pay more for renewable energy,” Mora said. “Californians are worried about the cost of gas and the cost of energy bills.” Over half said that prices at the pump and the cost of energy were major problems.

For the top environmental issues facing the state, Californians chose wildfires (20%), global warming or climate change (17%), and overregulation (17%). Wildfire has pushed out water supply as the primary issue. “Water supply was the top issue mentioned between 2021 and 2023, and we do know those were drier water years,” Mora said. “The state has seen increasing size and intensity in wildfires … it’s reflective of what respondents are seeing and feeling in their lives.”

Mora noted that 8 in 10 see wildfires as a problem in their area—as multiple wildfires burn across different parts of the state this summer. Californians are dissatisfied with state and local action to address the problem; more than 6 in 10 adults say their government is not doing enough, including with fire prevention or recovery efforts. Few have much confidence that their government is ready to respond to wildfires.

Meanwhile, climate change continues to loom as a threat to the state’s economy and quality of life for 8 in 10 adults; large majorities have cited this threat since 2005. Sixty percent of residents are very concerned about the impact of climate-change risk on the cost of their homeowners’ insurance, a concern shared across political parties, regions, and demographic groups. Many fear that Californians won’t be able to obtain insurance in the future.

Californians also seem to be changing their minds about whether plans to build new housing should consider climate adaptation to extreme weather such as flooding and wildfires: the share who think it should be considered a great deal has gone up, from 41% last year to 51% today. And worries over climate change even have some Californians questioning where to live. “About a quarter have considered moving to a different home to avoid climate risks,” Mora said.