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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 much more likely than adults nationwide to view global climate change as a very serious problem.
  • Two in three Californians say the state is divided into haves and have-nots.
  • Slightly more than half (54%) favor providing health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in California.
  • Half prioritize new ideas and a different approach over experience and a proven record in a presidential candidate.

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: Californians and Their Government

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

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians favor a switch to open election primaries, but don’t like the idea of a part-time legislature.
  • They feel that Proposition 13 has mainly been good for the state, but a majority would approve a change to taxing commercial property at current value.
  • Sixty-seven percent expect bad financial times in the coming year.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama
Governor Schwarzenegger
California State Legislature
U.S. Congress
Senator Boxer
Senator Feinstein
Speaker Pelosi

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama
Governor Schwarzenegger
California State Legislature
U.S. Congress
Senator Boxer
Senator Feinstein
Speaker Pelosi

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California
Economic Outlook for California

 
This survey is supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
 

blog post

California’s Mood Darkens on the Economy

By Dean Bonner

Even before widespread news of the omicron COVID variant and related economic fluctuations, Californians' views were divided on the state’s economic outlook.

blog post

Tackling Regional Disparities in Economic Opportunity

By Sarah Bohn, Dean Bonner, Vicki Hsieh, Julien Lafortune

Economic opportunity varies across California, and COVID-19 could worsen these disparities. Public policies that aim to increase opportunity should seek to address differing conditions and needs across regions.

Report

Will California Run Out of College Graduates?

By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Marisol Cuellar Mejia

California’s higher education system is a critical driver of the state’s economic progress. As the state’s economy continues to change, will its workforce be ready for the jobs of tomorrow?

This report updates and extends projections of California’s workforce skills through 2030, focusing on the supply and demand for workers with a bachelor’s degree. We find that the state will fall about 1.1 million college graduates short of economic demand if current trends persist—a problem we call the workforce skills gap. Even the arrival of highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large enough to fill this gap.

Today’s college graduates have better economic outcomes than those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Over time, college graduates have seen lower rates of unemployment and higher wages than other workers—even through the Great Recession—suggesting that college degrees have become increasingly valuable in California’s labor market.

The future workforce skills gap looms large. But California and its higher education institutions can take several practical steps to close it. The core of a new plan for higher education should include increasing access to the state’s four-year institutions, improving college completion rates, expanding transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about aid programs.

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, Nicole Willcoxon

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Jerry Brown leads Meg Whitman by 8 points in the governor’s race.
  • Senator Barbara Boxer and challenger Carly Fiorina are locked in a close contest.
  • Support for Proposition 19, marijuana legalization, has dropped below 50 percent.
  • Six in 10 Californians are worried about being able to pay their rent or mortgage.

Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [PDF]
Governor Schwarzenegger [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]
U.S. Congress [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
President Obama [XLS]
Governor Schwarzenegger [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]

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]

This survey was supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and the Future

By Mark Baldassare, Renatta DeFever, Lunna Lopes, Dean Bonner

Some findings of the current survey:

  • While many Californians believe the state will be a better place to live in 2025, most (55%) think that today’s children will be worse off financially than their parents.
  • A solid majority of Californians think that state and local governments are not doing enough to respond to the current drought.
  • Californians are divided along party lines about extending the Proposition 30 tax increases, but there is bipartisan support for raising taxes on cigarettes and alcohol.
  • Most Californians think the state is not adequately funding public colleges and universities—but few favor paying higher taxes or increasing student fees.

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 Blue Shield of California Foundation, the California Postsecondary Education Commission Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, and the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.

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