How Polls Depict California Views
If we consider surveys like snapshots, which ones best represent our opinions about politics? Let us consider a few key economic and social issues, general ideological beliefs, and partisan trends as a way to develop our portrait of Californians. Here are a few polls to inductively create out picture.
Support for the Affordable Care Act
In 2010, the US Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. The law continues to be a subject of debate in many states. In California, there is strong support for it, according to this May 2021 poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC):
"As you may know, a health reform bill was signed into law in 2010, commonly known as the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Given what you know about the health reform law, do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of it?"
Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Support for the Affordable Care Act
|
Opinion
|
All Adults
|
Democrat
|
Republican
|
Independent
|
Likely Voters
|
|
Favorable
|
60%
|
86%
|
22%
|
59%
|
60%
|
|
Unfavorable
|
30
|
9
|
70
|
34
|
35
|
|
Don't Know
|
10
|
5
|
7
|
7
|
5
|
Support for LGBT rights
Support for protecting the LGBT community from discrimination is strong. Consider another May 2021 PPIC poll focusing on a proposed federal law to provide the LGBT commwith unity more civil rights protections (Baldassare):
"Existing civil rights laws currently protect people from discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation. The 2021 Equality Act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to these laws. Do you support or oppose the 2021 Equality Act?"
Table \(\PageIndex{2}\): Support for LGBT Rights
|
Opinion
|
All adults
|
Dems.
|
Reps.
|
Ind.
|
Men
|
Women
|
Likely
Voters
|
|
Support
|
71%
|
88%
|
41%
|
64%
|
65%
|
76%
|
70%
|
|
Oppose
|
22
|
10
|
48
|
27
|
27
|
18
|
25
|
|
Don't Know
|
7
|
2
|
11
|
10
|
8
|
5
|
5
|
Support for a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants
There is overwhelming support for providing a way for undocumented people to become citizens. Consider the following March 2021 PPIC poll (Baldassare):
"Would you favor or oppose providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants to the US if they met certain requirements including a waiting period, paying fines and back taxes, and passing criminal background checks?"
Table \(\PageIndex{3}\): Support for Path to Citizenship for Undocumented
|
Opinion
|
All Adults
|
Dem.
|
Rep.
|
Ind.
|
African-
Amer.
|
Asian-
Amer.
|
Latinos
|
Whites
|
|
Favor
|
85
|
93%
|
68%
|
81%
|
92%
|
79%
|
92%
|
80%
|
|
Oppose
|
13
|
6
|
31
|
14
|
8
|
16
|
7
|
17
|
|
Don't Know
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
-
|
5
|
1
|
3
|
Let's turn to how Californians perceive their ideological identifications and partisanship (Baldassare, May 2021).
Would you consider yourself to be politically:
Table \(\PageIndex{4}\):Ideological Self-Identification
|
Ideology
|
Percentage
|
|
Very liberal
|
15
|
|
Somewhat Liberal
|
19
|
|
Middle of the Road
|
30
|
|
Somewhat conservative
|
19
|
|
Very conservative
|
12
|
|
Don't Know
|
4
|
When Californians register to vote, they choose to register as a party member or select "no party preference." As of February 2021, registration was as follows:
Table \(\PageIndex{5}\):Registration by Party
|
Party
|
Percentage of Californians
|
|
Democrats
|
46.2%
|
|
Republicans
|
24.1
|
|
No Party Preference
|
23.7
|
|
Other
|
6.0
|
("Elections CDN: CA Secretary of State")
These surveys are a small sample of polls that allow us to make some generalizations. First, many issues are marked by substantial differences of opinion driven by divergences among liberals, conservatives, and moderates. Second, these divergences push us into different parties, with more Californians identifying as Democrats than Republicans. Many choose not to identify with any party, suggesting that party identification is weak or absent. Minor parties (discussed in a later chapter) receive little support. Third, even though opinions are often polarized, there are many areas of widespread consensus.
