Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on California’s Fiscal System By Mark Baldassare Jan 15, 2004 This survey – the second in a series of special surveys on the California state budget and fiscal system, 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 64% of likely voters currently approve of the way Arnold Schwarzenegger is handling his job as governor of California. 58% of likely voters disapprove of the way the California legislature is handling the state budget and taxes. 73% of likely voters think the state government in Sacramento can be trusted to do what is right only some of the time or none of the time; 93% think that the people in state government waste some or a lot of taxpayers’ money. Currently, only 35% of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 57 — the $15 billion Economic Recovery Bond Act on the March 2nd primary ballot. 57% of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 58, which would require the state to pass a balanced budget, address fiscal emergencies, and establish a budget reserve. (Prop. 58 can take effect only if Prop. 57 is approved.)
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government Sep 23, 2014 Some findings of the current survey: Most Californians say the health reform law has had no direct impact. One in five say it has directly helped and a similar share say it has directly hurt them. In the gubernatorial election, Governor Brown continues to lead Neel Kashkari by a wide margin; just one in 10 are very closely following news about candidates. As more Californians see the drought as the state’s most important issue, the water bond (Proposition 1) has a two-to-one margin of support (58% to 29%). A solid majority of likely voters support Proposition 47, which would reduce sentences for some drug and property crimes. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama [PDF] Governor Brown [PDF] California State Legislature [PDF] U.S. Congress [PDF] Senator Boxer [PDF] Senator Feinstein [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] 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, Sonja Petek, Nicole Willcoxon Jan 27, 2010 Some findings of the current survey: Two-thirds of Californians would pay higher taxes to avoid cuts in K–12 funding. Seventy percent support spending cuts in prisons and corrections. Tom Campbell is ahead in the Senate primary race among Republican likely voters. Meg Whitman’s lead grows in the primary race for governor. Job Approval Ratings: President Obama Governor Schwarzenegger California State Legislature U.S. Congress Senator Boxer Senator Feinstein Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: President Obama Governor Schwarzenegger California State Legislature U.S. Congress Senator Boxer Senator Feinstein 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 James Irvine Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Environment By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Jul 27, 2011 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 Education By Mark Baldassare, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner, David Kordus Apr 20, 2016 Some findings of the current survey: Most Californians say that state funding for local schools is inadequate; solid majorities favor a Proposition 30 income tax increase extension and state and local school bonds. Democrats and Republicans are divided on the Common Core standards. Still, a majority of Californians are confident that Common Core will help prepare students for college and careers. While few Californians have heard of the Local Control Funding Formula, a solid majority are supportive after being read a short description of the policy. Californians are concerned about preschool affordability; most favor using some of the state budget surplus to fund early childhood education programs. Crosstabs: All Adults [PDF] Likely Voters [PDF] Time Trends: All Adults [PDF] Likely Voters [PDF] The survey was supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment, the Silver Giving Foundation, and the Stuart Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha Apr 25, 2012 Some findings of the current survey: California’s likely voters favor raising income taxes on the wealthy to increase funding for public schools, but they oppose raising the state sales tax. Just over half of likely voters—54%—would vote yes on Governor Brown’s proposed tax initiative and a strong majority oppose automatic cuts to K–12 education if the initiative is rejected. An overwhelming majority prefer local control over state funds for schools. Job Approval Ratings: Governor Brown [PDF] California State Legislature [PDF] Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: Governor Brown [XLS] California State Legislature [XLS] This survey was supported with funding from The Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, and The Silver Giving Foundation.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Apr 25, 2007 Some findings of the current survey: Most Californians today (80%) believe the quality of the state’s K-12 education system is at least somewhat of a problem, with about half (52%) calling it a big problem. Forty-four percent of blacks say the quality of education has worsened in the past two years compared to just 28 percent of whites, 21 percent of Latinos, and 20 percent of Asians. Most state residents (78%) would prefer to see local, rather than state, decision-making when it comes to allocating school resources—specifically, teachers (34%) and local school districts (31%). This is the 76th PPIC Statewide Survey and the sixth in a three-year survey series funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation focusing on education, environment, and population issues.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Education By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek Apr 30, 2008 Some findings of the current survey: More than half (53%) of the state’s residents say the quality of K-12 public schools is a major problem. Blacks (72%) and whites (60%) are much more likely than Latinos (42%) and Asians (38%) to say that educational quality is a big problem. But more than half of Californians (54%) give their public schools an A (18%) or B (36%). Among public school parents, 27 percent give an A and 40 percent a B. A strong majority (60%) of Californians choose K-12 public education as the area they would like to protect from budget cuts. This is the 85th PPIC Statewide Survey. It is part of a series covering K-12, higher education, environment, and population issues. This survey includes the responses of 2,502 Californians and is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
blog post Testimony: Most Californians Are “Pretty Happy” but a Growing Share Are “Not Too Happy” By Mark Baldassare Mar 12, 2024 Mark Baldassare, PPIC Statewide Survey director and Miller Chair in Public Policy, testified at a hearing of the Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes. He discussed Californians' overall happiness as well as their level of satisfaction with work, household finances, and other aspects of life.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Population Issues Feb 25, 2009 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.
