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Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Renatta DeFever, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians are worried about the water supply in their part of the state and say that people in their region are not doing enough to respond to the drought.
  • Many share the governor’s concern about the state’s roads and bridges; fewer support tax increases to fund improvements.
  • Most favor using state budget surpluses to restore higher education funding, but only if tuition and fees do not increase.
  • Support for legalizing marijuana (53%) is at its highest point; more than half of Californians would not be bothered if a legal marijuana store opened in their neighborhood.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Brown [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]
U.S. Congress [XLS]

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [PDF]
Economic Outlook for California [PDF]
General Direction of Things in the United States [PDF]
Economic Outlook for the United States [PDF]

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [XLS]
Economic Outlook for California [XLS]
General Direction of Things in the United States [XLS]
Economic Outlook for the United States [XLS]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lauren Mora, Deja Thomas

As the California Legislature considers placing a school facilities bond on the November 2024 ballot, around half of likely voters say they would vote yes on such a measure. About eight in ten public school parents see catching up academically or addressing the pandemic’s social-emotional impact as the biggest K–12 challenge.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Rachel Lawler

Key findings from the current survey: A slight majority of likely voters (51%) support a March ballot measure for a $15 billion bond to construct and modernize public education facilities. Most Californians (63%) say housing affordability is a big problem in their area, and 70 percent approve of Governor Newsom’s plan to spend $1 billion to address homelessness. Californians give mixed reviews to Newsom’s plan to scale back high-speed rail but support plans to scale back the Delta water tunnel project. Heading into the Democratic primary, Sanders leads (32%), trailed by Biden (14%), Warren (13%), Bloomberg (12%), and Buttigieg (12%).

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Nicole Willcoxon

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Jerry Brown leads Meg Whitman by 8 points in the governor’s race.
  • Senator Barbara Boxer and challenger Carly Fiorina are locked in a close contest.
  • Support for Proposition 19, marijuana legalization, has dropped below 50 percent.
  • Six in 10 Californians are worried about being able to pay their rent or mortgage.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Schwarzenegger [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Schwarzenegger [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]
U.S. Congress [XLS]

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [PDF]
General Direction of Things in the United States [PDF]
Economic Outlook for California [PDF]

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [XLS]
General Direction of Things in the United States [XLS]
Economic Outlook for California [XLS]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman

Key findings from the current survey: Democrat Gavin Newsom is likely voters’ top choice in the state’s gubernatorial primary; Republican John Cox and Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa are in a close race for the second spot on November’s ballot. Senator Dianne Feinstein holds a commanding lead over fellow Democrat Kevin de León. A single-payer state health care plan has the support of 53 percent of likely voters. But if the plan requires raising taxes, support declines to 41 percent. A solid 67 percent of likely voters say that immigrants benefit the state because of their hard work and job skills.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, is losing (52% to 44%) among likely voters. Support for Propositions 4 and 11 is less than 50 percent.
  • Likely voters prefer Sen. Barack Obama for president over Sen. John McCain by a 23-point margin, a 13-point gain since last month.
  • Seventy-one percent of Californians think the state is headed in the wrong direction.

This is the 91st PPIC Statewide Survey and the 32nd 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 currently supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Renatta DeFever, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians are starting 2015 on an optimistic note: majorities see the state headed in the right direction and are hopeful that elected leaders will work together.
  • Partisans are divided over whether the state should use its budget surplus to pay down debt and build up the reserve or to restore social services.
  • Californians support increased funding for higher education but also want existing funds to be spent more wisely.
  • Most Californians see crime as a problem in their communities, and a majority think that minorities are not treated equally by the criminal justice system—blacks are especially likely to hold this view.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]
Senator Boxer [PDF]
Senator Feinstein [PDF]
Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [PDF]
Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Brown [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]
U.S. Congress [XLS]
Senator Boxer [XLS]
Senator Feinstein [XLS]
Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and Senate [XLS]
Their Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives [XLS]

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [PDF]
Economic Outlook for California [PDF]

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [XLS]
Economic Outlook for California [XLS]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Rachel Lawler, Alyssa Dykman

Key findings from the current survey include Sanders (27%), Biden (24%), and Warren (23%) are the frontrunners in California’s Democratic presidential primary; Most Californians say President Trump should be removed from office and disapprove of his handling of the situation with Iran; More than half (53%) of likely voters support a statewide measure to authorize $15 billion in bonds for construction and modernization of public education facilities; 36 percent oppose it and 10 percent are undecided; Californians are most likely to name homelessness as the most important issue for the governor and legislature to address in the coming year.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha

Some findings of the current survey:

  • A slim majority of likely voters support Governor Brown's proposed tax initiative when read the ballot title and a summary; seven in 10 oppose the "trigger cuts” that public schools would face if the measure fails.
  • Despite positive economic news, an overwhelming majority of likely voters say the state is in a recession.
  • Term limits and cigarette tax initiatives on the June ballot have the support of two in three likely voters; half would vote for the water bond on the November ballot.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Brown [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]
U.S. Congress [XLS]

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [PDF]
Economic Outlook for California [PDF]

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California [XLS]
Economic Outlook for California [XLS]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner, David Kordus

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in a close race in the Democratic presidential primary; both candidates lead Donald Trump in potential November matchups.
  • Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez lead the top-two primary for the U.S. Senate, but almost a third of likely voters are undecided.
  • The Republican Party’s favorability rating has dropped sharply since December, while the Democratic Party’s favorability rating has held steady.
  • Most Californians and likely voters support extending Proposition 30 income taxes, increasing the tax on cigarettes, and legalizing marijuana.

Crosstabs:
All Adults [PDF]
Likely Voters [PDF]

Time Trends:
All Adults [PDF]
Likely Voters [PDF]

The survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation and the PPIC Donor Circle.

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