Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Environment By Mark Baldassare Nov 13, 2003 This is the 40th PPIC Statewide Survey and the sixth in a series of eight surveys that will focus on population growth, land use, and the environment. This survey focuses in particular on marine and coastal issues. Some findings of the current survey The vast majority (88%) of Californians say that the condition of the ocean and beaches is personally important to them, with 60% saying it is very important. Over half (52%) of the state's residents believe that the quality of the ocean along the state's shoreline has deteriorated in the past two decades. Three in four residents (77%) support protecting wetlands and beach/bay habitats even if it means less commercial activity near the coast. Half of all those surveyed (50%) favor prohibiting new off-shore oil drilling along California's coast, even if it means higher gasoline prices. Nearly all Californians agree that environmental protection should be a priority for the Schwarzenegger administration. Almost one-third (32%) think it should be a top priority, while a large majority (57%) say it should be an important priority.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Oct 24, 2012 Some findings of the current survey: Obama and Biden lead Romney and Ryan by 12 points in the presidential race in California. Just under half (48%) of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 30; support is lower for Proposition 38 (39%). Californians are much less pessimistic about the direction and economic outlook of the nation than they were in 2008. 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] 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, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Mar 26, 2008 Some findings of the current survey: Seven in 10 residents say California is in a recession and three in four expect the state to have bad economic times during the next 12 months. Nearly half of likely voters say they prefer to deal with the budget gap through a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. Solid majorities say major changes are needed in the state’s budget process. Optimism about progress in Iraq remains low, but is higher than a year ago. Most residents say the nation should bring troops home as soon as possible. If the 2008 presidential election were held today, likely voters say they prefer Barack Obama over John McCain (49% to 40%), while a race between Hillary Clinton and McCain would be closer (46% to 43%). This is the 84th PPIC Statewide Survey, and the 28th in the Californians and Their Government series. This survey includes the responses of 2,002 Californians and is supported by The James Irvine Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Education By Mark Baldassare Apr 27, 2006 Some findings of the current survey The share of Californians (58%) who say the quality of education is a big problem is higher now than at any time since 1998, when the PPIC Statewide Survey was launched. Substantial majorities of residents (64%) and likely voters (60%) favor raising the income tax paid by the wealthiest Californians to fund education. Eighty-seven percent of blacks are very concerned about high school drop-out rates, a much higher percentage than in any other group (Latinos 59%, Asians 51%, whites 50%). A majority of Californians (73%) believe that students should have to pass a statewide test to graduate from high school. This is the 66th PPIC Statewide Survey and the second in a series of special surveys focusing on education in California, made possible by a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the California State Budget By Mark Baldassare Jun 12, 2003 This survey – the first in a series of special surveys on the California state budget, conducted in collaboration with The James Irvine Foundation – is a special edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey. 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. Some findings of the current survey Nearly all Californians (94%) say that the state's budget deficit is a big problem (73%) or somewhat of a problem (21%). Most Californians are opposed to spending cuts in public programs as well as to increases in taxes or fees. Only 34% of all adults say that they trust the government in Sacramento to do what is right just about always or most of the time. 75% of likely voters disapprove of the way Governor Davis is handling his job, and 57% of the state's residents disapprove of the way the legislature is handling budget issues. Nearly six in 10 respondents believe that the better way to improve the national economy is to reduce the deficit rather than cut tax (58% to 34%).
At Issue, Report Legislative Reform By Eric McGhee Dec 3, 2007 PPIC's At Issue series focuses on issues important for California now and in the future. In this issue, PPIC research fellow Eric McGhee discusses three charges often brought against the California Legislature—loss of competence, increasing partisan gridlock, and declining efficiency—and three types of reform aimed at addressing those shortcomings: relaxing term limits, transferring redistricting from the legislature to an independent commission, and reducing the supermajority requirement for the budget. He also offers some recommendations for policy design and briefly discusses alternative reforms.
Statewide Survey Facing Facts: Public Attitudes and Fiscal Realities in Five Stressed States Oct 7, 2010 A survey in five of the nation’s most fiscally stressed states reveals a disconnect between what the public wants from state government and budget realities. Residents in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, and New York believe their states could spend less without cutting services. They want to protect K-12 education and Medicaid funding—by far the biggest portions of state budgets. They prefer charging someone else— wealthy corporations, smokers, drinkers, and gamblers—to ensure essential government services. But even these increases would likely be insufficient to close severe budget gaps. This survey was co-published by the Pew Center on the States and Public Policy Institute of California. Any text or graphics taken from the multistate survey should jointly credit the Pew Center on the States and Public Policy Institute of California, 2010.
blog post Unfavorable Ratings for Political Parties Persist among Californians By Rachel Lawler Jan 10, 2020 Less than half of Californians hold favorable views of the Democratic or Republican parties, and a majority say a third major party is needed.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Oct 22, 2008 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.
blog post California’s Immigrants and the 2018 Election Context By Mark Baldassare Mar 30, 2018 With immigration playing a lead role in today’s polarized political discussions, will California’s immigrants have an impact in the 2018 election?
