Description

This survey seeks to raise public awareness, inform decisionmakers, and stimulate public
discussion on state and national issues and the November general election. The context for this
survey includes the presidential election, a downturn in the national economy, and a multi-billion
dollar gap between spending and revenues in the state budget. We examine issues in the fall
general election, such as voters’ satisfaction with and preference for presidential candidates, the
issues most important to them, and their support for three of the state propositions on the
November ballot. The survey also examines Californians’ opinions of state and national issues,
including the economy, trust in government, their perceptions of elected officials who represent
them in Sacramento and Washington, and perceptions and policy preferences regarding the state
budget, the war in Iraq, homeland security, immigration policy, health care, and the role of
government.