A poll released last month by Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) sheds light on the feelings held by adults and likely voters on a slew of issues, including the state of the nation and California.

Notably, the poll found that the vast majority of Californians believe the state is run by big interest groups pursuing their own agendas.

The poll, called “Californians and Their Government,” which is based on a survey of 1,605 California adult residents—including 1,071 likely voters—also revealed that about half of California adults approve of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s performance at the state’s helm.

Meanwhile, just under 50 percent of Californians disapprove of the state’s legislature. In addition, 6 percent of likely voters think the state government will do what is right “just about always,” and 38 percent think the government will do the right thing “most of the time.”

The poll also found that a majority of Californians are expecting rough economic conditions in the coming year.

Big Interests

Seven in 10 adults in California say the government is controlled by a few big interests, with only 27 percent saying the state is being run for the benefit of everyone in the state.

Similar views were found for adults and likely voters regardless of party, region, and demographics.

Additionally, approximately half of adults (48 percent) and likely voters (49 percent) say government workers waste a lot of their tax money in a state facing a severe budget shortfall.

California Governor

Californians were split on how they rate their governor. About half of adults (49 percent) and likely voters (51 percent) approve of Newsom’s job performance, while 48 percent disapprove among both adults and likely voters.

In addition, 74 percent of Democrats approve of the job the governor has done, while 54 percent of independents approve. A total of 88 percent of Republicans disapprove of the job being done by the Democratic governor in the deep blue Golden State.

Newsom’s approval varies from region to region, with his approval rating reaching its highest level in large metro areas. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the governor’s approval rating is 58 percent among residents, while in Los Angeles it sits at 52 percent. In the Central Valley, 57 percent disapprove of the governor. In Orange, San Diego, and Inland Empire, the disapproval rating is 50 percent.

Among college graduates, 54 percent approve of Newsom’s performance, compared to 46 percent of non-college graduates.

State Legislature

Forty-seven percent of Californians give their stamp of approval to the state’s legislature, while 50 percent disapprove. When it comes strictly to likely voters, 48 percent approve and 50 percent disapprove.

These figures mark the highest approval rating for the state legislature thus far in 2024 measured by the PPIC. A majority of Democrats approve of the job being done by the legislature, as do a majority of Asian Americans, young adults, and college graduates.

Trust in Government

Most Californians expect the government to do what is right “only some of the time”—57 percent of adults and 56 percent of likely voters.

Only 5 percent of adults and 6 percent of likely voters expect the government to do what is right “just about always.” Additionally, 37 percent of adults and 38 percent of likely voters expect the government to do what is right “most of the time.”

While most Democrats trust the state government at least most of the time, two in three independents and 9 in 10 Republicans trust the state government only part of the time.

Across the state’s regions, trust in state government to do what is right either “most of the time” or “just about always” reaches 50 percent in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 2021, 8 percent of Californians told PPIC that they trust the state government none of the time. This question was not included in the most recent poll.

California Headed in Wrong Direction

Approximately 6 in 10 Californians anticipate rough economic conditions in the next year. A majority of Californians have held a pessimistic outlook on the economy dating back to November 2021.

Among Republicans, 87 percent, and 65 percent of independents are pessimistic. Less than half of Democrats, 43 percent, share this pessimism.

The pessimistic outlook transcends regions and demographic groups, with an exception found among African Americans (50 percent).

Californians widely expect their financial situations to remain the same over the coming six months—53 percent hold this expectation. About a quarter expect their financial situation to improve, and another quarter expect their financial situation to deteriorate. These views were largely unchanged from one year ago.