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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 slim majority of likely voters support Proposition 15, which would change how commercial property is taxed. Well below half of likely voters support Proposition 16, which would repeal the state’s ban on affirmative action in the public sector. Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by a wide margin, with 60 percent of likely voters favoring Biden/Harris and 31 percent favoring Trump/Pence. Most Californians remain concerned about contracting COVID-19, but a slim majority believe the worst is behind us.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Sixty-four percent of likely voters support Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to issue $43.3 billion in bonds to increase funding for education facilities, prisons, water storage, and other infrastructure projects.
  • Fifty-two percent of voters admit that they know very little (43%) or nothing (9%) about how bonds are paid for in California. Six percent say they know a lot.
  • The share of residents who describe the state budget as a big problem has fallen 29 points, from 73 percent to 44 percent, since May 2004.

This is the 77th PPIC Statewide Survey and the 23rd in PPIC's Californians and Their Government series, conducted periodically to examine the social, economic, and political trends that influence public policy preferences and ballot choices in the state. It is supported by 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:

  • Californians are divided over Governor Brown’s budget plan—they are also split on how the state should use its budget surplus.
  • Most prefer alternatives to the governor’s plan to fund transportation infrastructure projects by raising fees and taxes.
  • Among Californians, Hillary Clinton has the highest favorability rating and Donald Trump has the highest unfavorability rating.
  • A record-high share of Californians (43%) view terrorism and security as a big problem in the state.

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

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 and the PPIC Donor Circle.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Alyssa Dykman, Lunna Lopes

Key findings from the current survey: Most Californians support Governor Newsom’s first proposed budget, and overwhelming majorities favor his plans to increase funding for preschool and higher education. Californians view immigration as the top issue for state leaders to address in the coming year. A majority of Californians are optimistic about the direction of the state, but less than a third are optimistic about where the nation is headed.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the California State Budget

By Mark Baldassare

Some findings of the current survey

  • A vast majority of Californians (71%) view the state’s multibillion dollar fiscal gap between revenues and spending as a big problem.
  • Only 7% of the state’s residents think the governor and legislature have made a lot of progress in solving the state’s budget problems.
  • Most Californians (72%) express concern about the effects of budget cuts in the governor’s fiscal plans.
  • 72 percent of Californians believe voters should make decisions about the budget and governmental reforms rather than abdicate that responsibility to the governor and legislature.
  • Californians continue to express profound distrust of their state government: Only 29 % say they trust the government to do what is right just about always or most of the time. Most Californians say that state government is run by a few big interests—a view held by majorities of Democrats (72), Republicans (67%), and independents (64%).
  • More residents say the state is headed in the wrong direction than the right direction (57% to 35%) and say they expect bad economic times rather than good times in the next 12 months (49% to 39%).

This survey is the fifth in a series of special PPIC Statewide Surveys on the California State Budget and Fiscal System, begun in June 2003 and conducted in collaboration with The James Irvine Foundation. The intent of this series is to raise public awareness, inform decisionmakers, and stimulate public discussion about the current state budget and the underlying state and local finance system.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians see global warming as a serious threat—and most do not think action to reduce global warming will lead to fewer jobs.
  • There is strong support for the greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements in AB 32 and SB 32.
  • Californians favor the energy goals in SB 350; they also favor state support for solar power and electric vehicles.
  • Many say water is the state’s top environmental issue—but most do not know their local water district reduction targets.

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]

This survey was supported with funding from The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the Pisces Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Healthy Communities

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians have generally positive views of their health, with 80 percent calling it good to excellent.
  • Most say that health care services in their communities should emphasize prevention more than treatment.
  • Nearly all say universal health care for children is important in preventing illness.

Job Approval Ratings:
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
Governor Brown
[XLS]
California State Legislature [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 California Endowment.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • The state water bond and high-speed rail system lack majority backing, but both would gain support if costs were reduced.
  • Californians remain supportive of the citizens’ initiative, but they also favor procedural reforms.
  • Californians support both a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and tougher border control.

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: Special Survey on Education

By Mark Baldassare

Some findings of the current survey

  • The vast majority of Californians (82%) believe that the quality of education in the state’s K-12 public schools is at least somewhat of a problem.
  • 59% of public school parents say that their local public schools do not receive enough state funding.
  • Most Californians are more likely to say that private schools (60%) rather than public schools (24%) provide the best education.
  • 78% of Californians say parents who fail to pay attention to how their children are doing is a big problem in K-12 public education.
  • Parental hopes for their children’s future education are stunning. Nine in 10 aspire to college graduation for their children, and 41 percent hope that their children will earn a postgraduate degree.

This special edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey—a survey on education—is the first in a three-year PPIC survey series made possible with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The intent of this special series is to inform state, local, and federal policymakers; encourage discussion; and raise public awareness about a variety of education, environment, and population issues facing the state.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the Environment

By Mark Baldassare

Some findings of the current survey

  • Eight in 10 residents believe global warming will be a very (49%) or somewhat serious (30%) threat to California’s future economy and quality of life.
  • Sixty-five percent of all adults and 70 percent of likely voters favor having the state make its own policies on global warming.
  • The proposal to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 receives majority support from residents across all regions, racial/ethnic, and demographic groups.
  • Seventy percent of all adults say they would seriously consider purchasing or leasing a hybrid vehicle, with 57 percent saying they would even if it were more costly.

This is the 69th PPIC Statewide Survey and the fifth in a three-year series made possible with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

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