Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Dec 17, 2009 Some findings of the current survey: Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman leads the field among likely voters in the GOP gubernatorial primary, but Democrat Jerry Brown beats all three potential Republican candidates in hypothetical 2010 general election matchups. More than half of likely voters say the issues of lowering the legislative vote threshold to pass a state budget and allowing same-sex marriage are very important. Half of Californians support proposed changes to the health care system, given what they know about the legislation. They take a pessimistic view of military efforts in Afghanistan, and are divided on President Obama’s proposal for more troops there. Job Approval Ratings: President ObamaGovernor SchwarzeneggerCalifornia State LegislatureU.S. CongressTheir Own State Legislator in the Assembly and SenateTheir Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President ObamaGovernor SchwarzeneggerCalifornia State LegislatureU.S. Congress Their Own State Legislators in the Assembly and SenateTheir Own Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in CaliforniaGeneral Direction of Things in the United StatesEconomic Outlook for CaliforniaEconomic Outlook for the United States Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: General Direction of Things in CaliforniaGeneral Direction of Things in the United StatesEconomic Outlook for CaliforniaEconomic Outlook for the United States This survey is supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Occasional Paper, Report Signing Initiative Petitions Online: Possibilities, Problems, and Prospects By Walter Baer Jan 22, 2001 Prepared for The Speaker's Commission on The California Initiative Process, January 22, 2001.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey of Orange County By Mark Baldassare Dec 1, 2004 Some findings of the survey Orange County residents are overwhelmingly upbeat about the county’s quality of life: Most (90%) say things are going well today. Majorities say their parks and beaches (84%), freeways and roads (64%), and schools (64%) are excellent or good. Over two-thirds of the county’s residents (69%) rate the local economy as excellent or good. Virtually all county homeowners (98%) say they are satisfied with the homes they live in, and most (80%) are very satisfied. In the recent presidential election, heavily Republican Orange County gave the nod to Bush (60%) over Kerry (39%). County residents give the Republican governor sky-high marks: 68% say they approve of Schwarzenegger’s job performance (7 points higher than his statewide standing). Orange County residents (62%) are also substantially more likely than Californians as a whole (44%) to say the state is going in the right direction. This survey is a special edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey, which periodically includes regional and special-theme surveys. The intent of the current survey is to provide timely, accurate, and objective information about policy preferences and economic, social, and political trends in Orange County.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the California State Budget By Mark Baldassare Jan 27, 2005 Some findings of the current survey A vast majority of California’s likely voters (76%) view the state’s multibillion dollar fiscal gap between revenues and spending as a big problem. Californians are fed up with the state’s fiscal fiasco, and they don’t trust the governor or legislature to resolve the problem: An overwhelming majority (68%) believe that voters should make decisions about the budget process at the ballot box, rather than abdicate that responsibility to the governor and legislature. A majority of residents (69%) support raising the tax rate on the state’s top income bracket. Most residents (73%) express concern about the effects of budget cuts in the governor’s plan. Few residents (29%) believe that the Social Security program is in crisis, although 42% do agree that the program has major problems. 46% of the state’s residents think that the Bush administration’s proposal to allow people to invest their Social Security contributions in the stock market is a bad idea. This survey is the fourth 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: Special Survey on Californians and the Environment By Mark Baldassare Jul 22, 2004 This is the 47th PPIC Statewide Survey and the seventh in a series of eight surveys focusing on population growth, land use, and the environment. This survey focuses in particular on public perceptions, policy preferences, and political choices relating to air quality and energy-related issues. Some findings of the current survey A majority of Californians (55%) say that the environment should be the top policy priority—even at the expense of economic growth. Despite California’s fiscal woes, 55% of likely voters want the state to continue funding environmental programs at current levels. The Central Valley ties Los Angeles (both 47%) as the region where the highest proportion of residents say air pollution is a big problem in their own region. Nearly three-fourths of the state’s residents (71%) believe that unchecked amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the air will lead to global warming. When asked which candidate they trust more to handle environmental issues, voters choose Kerry over Bush by a wide margin (56% to 30%).
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare Jan 24, 2007 Some findings of the current survey: The majority of California residents (58%) -including Democrats (55%)- approve of the way Arnold Schwarzenegger is handling his job as governor. Six in 10 voters (62%) think that the governor and legislature will be able to work together and accomplish a lot this year. A large majority (79%) favor the governor's proposal to guarantee medical coverage for children of low-income families. Support drops if the plan covers all low-income children regardless of immigration status. Sixty-nine percent say it was not worth going to war in Iraq. This is the 74th PPIC Statewide Survey and the 21st in the Californians and Their Government series. It is made possible with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process By Mark Baldassare Aug 25, 2005 Some findings of the current survey A majority of likely voters across age, income, education, racial and ethnic groups, and in every region of the state, oppose holding a special election this fall. When asked which ballot issue was most important to them, a higher percentage of likely voters (16%) volunteered the answer “none” than named any one measure. At this time, likely voters are not very enthusiastic about the three reform measures on the fall ballot that are supported by the Schwarzenegger administration: Proposition 74 (teacher tenure), 49% support, 42% oppose; Proposition 76 (spending and funding limits), 28% support, 61% oppose; Proposition 77 (redistricting), 34% support, 49% oppose. Governor Schwarzenegger’s approval ratings are at a low point: Only 34% of state residents approve of the way he is handling his job. The state legislature fares even worse, with a 27% approval rating. This is the 58th PPIC Statewide Survey and the first in a series of three surveys focusing on Californians and the initiative process. This special survey series is funded by The James Irvine Foundation.
Report The Season of Our Discontent: Voters’ Views on California Elections By D. E. Apollonio, Mark Baldassare, Jon Cohen, Bruce E. Cain Oct 26, 2004 Over the past 20 years, two particular trends have emerged in California politics: Gubernatorial campaigns have spent increasing, record amounts of money—most of it on negative TV commercials attacking opponents. And at the same time, a growing percentage of voters have signaled their disaffection for negative campaigns by simply staying away from the polls. In this study, the authors use their findings from 10 surveys of over 20,000 Californians conducted during the 2002 election cycle to examine the disconnect between politicians and the public in California. The surveys show a high degree of dissatisfaction among Californians with their choice of candidates and the way campaigns are run in the state. They are highly supportive of campaign reforms, including candidate debates, public disclosure, finance reform, and pledges of campaign conduct.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey of the Central Valley By Mark Baldassare Jun 27, 2006 Some findings of the current survey Seventy three percent of Central Valley residents rate their city or community as an excellent or good place to live—a positive rating that is found consistently in previous Central Valley surveys. In a ranking of the most important issues facing the region, pollution and air pollution (14%) top the list, followed by crime (12%), population growth (10%), the economy (9%), immigration (7%), and flooding (7%). The proportion of residents who say asthma or respiratory problems are a problem for themselves or a family member has grown in the past three years from 37 to 49 percent. More than twice as many Central Valley residents say traffic congestion is a big problem in their area today than did in 1999 (48% to 23%). While 82 percent of whites in the Central Valley region use computers often or sometimes, 55 percent of Latinos do not use a computer at all. This is the 68th PPIC Statewide Survey and the sixth in a series of special surveys focusing on California's Central Valley, in collaboration with the Great Valley Center.
