Most Californians are pessimistic about the state’s future and disapprove of the way Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are handling the economy, according to a large poll released Monday evening.
But a majority of Californians are optimistic about their own financial future and have no plans to leave the state, according to a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California in San Francisco. At the same time, low-income residents reported higher rates of difficulty with housing, food and health care costs.
“Most people are doing reasonably well,” said Mark Baldassare, director of the institute’s survey. “Not everyone.”
The institute’s pollsters surveyed 2,344 adult Californians in five languages between November 6 – one day after Election Day – and November 22. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for the entire sample.
Asked if they approved of Newsom’s handling of jobs and the economy, 50% said no, 48% approved and 2% didn’t know. Disapproval of state legislators’ performance was higher, at 54 percent.
The institute has asked voters these same questions every year since 2020; This is the first year that support for Newsom’s handling of the economy has fallen below 50%, Baldassare said. After economic concerns helped fuel Republicans’ landslide national victory in last month’s general election, Newsom said his fellow Democrats needed to talk more about the economy and began visiting conservative counties to promote a development plan economy of the state.
“More jobs,” Newsom posted on his X social media account on November 22, touting his efforts. “More businesses. Higher salaries. Faster.”
But San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow’s response: “You’ve driven businesses out of the state and suddenly you want to ‘help’ businesses?” — suggested that the governor, widely seen as a future presidential contender, still had work to do to convince skeptics.
Newsom said that “California is where the American dream is alive and well” and that as “the most diverse state in the most diverse democracy in the world, California is big-hearted, prosperous, inclusive and daring.
But 62 percent of respondents said the American dream — that if you work hard, you will succeed — “is harder to achieve in California than elsewhere in the United States.” Most respondents also have a gloomy view of the future of California’s economy, with 56% expecting “tough times” next year, and 70% believing that California’s children in today will be in a worse situation than their parents were when they grew up.
However, 79% of respondents said their financial situation would be either better or about the same in a year. More than 90% of respondents were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with their jobs, and more than 80% reported having stable, predictable pay and work hours. At the regional level, some economic indicators such as inflation are improving.
Baldassare said California’s deep political divide is behind the gap between residents’ relative satisfaction with their own lives and their disapproval of the politicians who run the state.
“When we ask questions about the governor, the Legislature and the state of the economy, we also get a read on the polarization within the state,” he said. “When we ask about personal finances…the differences that emerge are more about people’s current economic situation. »
For example, 44% of respondents earning less than $20,000 said it was difficult to pay their bills, compared to 14% of those earning at least $80,000 a year. African Americans, Latinos and renters reported higher rates of hardship.
Respondents showed support for policy ideas pushed by many of California’s ruling Democrats, including free college (66%) and eliminating college debt (58%), increasing government funding for child care programs (76%) and job training (79%) and providing subsidies. home buyers $25,000 for a down payment (62%).
But when asked about the next president’s priorities, the largest share, 52 percent, said controlling costs and inflation was a “very high priority,” more than the 45 percent who similarly ranked building construction. ‘an economy that gives every American a chance to succeed. .
