A majority of Californians are in favor of a smaller federal government, but do not support taxpayer-funded health care coverage for illegal immigrants, or new tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China, according to a new study released June 11 by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).
The survey, based on 1,591 adult residents and conducted May 22–29, revealed that 57 percent of state residents either strongly support (27 percent) or somewhat support (30 percent) downsizing the federal government.
Likely voters interviewed by PPIC had similar views, with 31 percent strongly supporting minimizing the federal government and 26 percent reporting they somewhat supported the concept.
While the Golden State has championed its costly plan to provide health care coverage to illegal immigrants, PPIC’s survey found that, for the first time since 2015, 58 percent of adults and 61 percent of likely voters were opposed to the program.
The survey, conducted by Mark Baldassare, chair of public policy at the institute, examined several topics.
“A majority of Californians support downsizing the federal government, while around half approve of cutting aid that the U.S. provides to foreign countries,” Baldassare said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the opinions varied across partisan lines.
When it came to cutting U.S. aid to foreign countries, 53 percent of Californians said they were strongly (25 percent) or somewhat (28 percent) in support, while 49 percent of likely voters strongly supported or somewhat supported the cuts.
A majority of Republicans—84 percent—said they strongly or somewhat support cutting foreign aid. That percentage dropped among independents, of which 54 percent are strongly or somewhat in support, while only 33 percent of Democrats strongly or somewhat favor the idea.
Other topics in the survey covered the job approval of federal officials, opinions about tariffs, and environmental regulations.
The survey showed that only a third of residents surveyed approved of how the president, Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court were doing their jobs.
Regarding tariffs, 72 percent of respondents said they either strongly opposed or somewhat opposed new tariffs on imports from Canada, while 70 percent said they opposed tariffs on Mexican goods. Only 63 percent said they were against placing tariffs on China.
When asked about cutting back on environmental regulations for oil and gas drilling in the state, nearly six in 10 residents said they strongly opposed or somewhat opposed the idea.
“Most Californians are opposed to new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China and cutting back environmental regulations on oil and gas drilling,” Baldassare said.
He said the state’s residents were concerned about high prices and the financial strains of housing.
“Half of Californians say that recent price increases have caused financial hardships, four in 10 say that housing costs are a financial strain, and one in three say they are financially worse off today than a year ago,” Baldassare said.
How do they feel about the future?
Most Californians—about 75 percent—expect bad economic times in the state during the next 12 months, he said.
One-third of Californians reported that their families were financially worse off than they were a year ago, while 13 percent said they were better off, and 54 percent felt they were about the same.