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Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Population Issues

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians are far more likely to say the government should not interfere with abortion access (61%) than pass more restrictions (35%), but the latter choice has risen 8 points since January 2000.
  • Births have been and are expected to be the single biggest factor in the state’s population growth, but half of Californians believe that immigration is the biggest cause.
  • Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating dropped 7 points to 33 percent but Californians give President Barack Obama a 70-percent approval rating in his first month.

This is the 95th PPIC Statewide Survey and the 2nd focusing on population issues. It is supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Solid majorities of Californians favor government regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and policies to curb global warming.
  • More Californians support than oppose expanding coastal oil drilling; even more favor improving fuel efficiency.
  • Three in four Californians say the state should expand public transit and use existing transportation networks more efficiently—only 18 percent say the state should build more freeways.

Job Approval Ratings:
   President Obama
   Governor Schwarzenegger
   California State Legislature

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
   President Obama
   Governor Schwarzenegger
   California State Legislature

Mood of Californians:
   General Direction of Things in California
   Economic Outlook for California
 
Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
   General Direction of Things in California
   Economic Outlook for California
 
This survey is supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education

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

Key findings from the current survey: Californians are concerned about the threat of a mass shooting in their local schools, but a majority oppose arming more teachers and school officials. Majorities are concerned about the impact of immigration enforcement on undocumented students in local public schools and their families.

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.

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 leads Donald Trump by a wide margin in California, and most likely voters are very interested in the upcoming presidential debates.
  • In the US Senate race, Kamala Harris leads Loretta Sanchez by 7 points; many Californians remain undecided or say they will not vote in this race.
  • Just under half of likely voters support the state school bond ballot measure, while majorities favor measures to increase cigarette taxes, extend a tax on high incomes, and legalize marijuana.
  • Most Californians oppose building a wall along the border with Mexico, and most say there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to stay legally. Clinton and Trump supporters are split on these issues.

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.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Future

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians show signs of optimism about the state’s future.
  • Strong majorities support spending reforms; smaller majorities support lowering the vote thresholds to pass state and local taxes.
  • Californians favor a "split roll” property tax but express record-high opposition to taxing services or increasing the vehicle license fee.

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 S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The David and Susan Coulter Family Foundation, and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Less than a third of Californians favor building more nuclear plants, a sharp drop from last year.
  • Support has increased for allowing more oil drilling off the California coast.
  • More than half say air pollution has gotten worse or is unchanged in their region.

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 William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

    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 record-high percentage of Californians says jobs and the economy are the most important issues facing the state.
    • Nearly all Californians believe the state is in a recession.
    • Approval of President Obama’s job performance drops to a record low.

    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]
    General Direction of Things in the United States [PDF]
    Economic Outlook for California [PDF]
    Economic Outlook for the United States [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]
    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 Their Government

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

    Some findings of the current survey:

    • Just over half of likely voters support a proposition to raise the cigarette tax—a big drop since March.
    • Most likely voters say they will vote yes on a proposition to alter term limits in the California Legislature.
    • Half of likely voters say that President Obama’s support of gay marriage does not affect their view of him.

    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 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.

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