When Californians are asked whether they would “rather pay higher taxes and have a state government that provides more services” or “pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services,” 55 percent prefer lower taxes and fewer services, up from 51 percent in February, according to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll released June 12. In both polls, another 2 percent of respondents said they don’t know which option they prefer.
The question is frequently included in the PPIC’s polls, and the results consistently show that Californians desire lower taxes. A May 2024 poll found that 56 percent supported lower taxes and fewer services, while a January 2023 poll pegged the number at 52 percent. (CalTax: The question is useful in gauging the mood of the public, but as we note every time the PPIC releases a poll with this question, higher taxes do not always result in more services, nor do lower taxes necessarily result in fewer services.)
The new poll also found that 90 percent of Californians say the federal government wastes their tax dollars – a slight improvement over a September poll in which 95 percent of the respondents said the federal government wastes some or all of their tax dollars. The 90 percent is composed of 58 percent who said the government wastes “a lot” and 32 percent who said the government wastes “some” tax dollars. Another 8 percent said the federal government “doesn’t waste very much,” and 1 percent said they don’t know.
While the poll is titled “Californians and Their Government,” and typically includes a question about the state’s use of tax dollars in addition to the question about federal waste, the latest poll did not ask about the state government’s use of tax dollars. The September poll found that 93 percent of Californians think the state wastes their tax dollars.
Other results from the new poll:
- Asked what they think is “the most important issue facing people in California today,” 37 percent identified “cost of living, economy, inflation, jobs” – far outpacing the second-place answer, “housing costs and availability,” at 15 percent. The only other issue that reached double digits was “government in general, problems with elected officials, political parties,” at 10 percent. Taxes were grouped in a category with other issues – “state budget, deficit, taxes, state spending” – that was identified as the top priority by 7 percent of the respondents. Other issues: homelessness (8 percent); threats to democracy or political extremism (5 percent); crime (3 percent); environment, pollution, global warming (3 percent); health care, insurance, prescription drug costs, Affordable Care Act (3 percent); immigration (3 percent); wildfires (3 percent); education, schools, teachers (2 percent), water issues (2 percent).
- Asked what they think is “the most important problem facing the United States today,” the top three answers were political extremism or threats to democracy (35 percent); economy, unemployment, and jobs (21 percent); and immigration (11 percent).
- Asked if they “approve or disapprove of the way that Gavin Newsom is handling his job as governor of California,” 54 percent disapproved, 44 percent approved, and 2 percent said they don’t know.
- Asked if they “approve or disapprove of the way that the California Legislature is handling its job,” 57 percent disapproved, 41 percent approved, and 2 percent said they don’t know.
- Respondents oppose new tariffs on imported goods from Mexico (53 percent strongly and 17 percent somewhat, compared to 29 percent who support); Canada (54 percent strongly and 18 percent somewhat vs. 27 percent who support); and China (41 percent strongly and 22 percent somewhat vs. 36 percent who support).
The poll was conducted from May 22 to May 29 in English and Spanish, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.
Of the 1,591 California adult residents who participated in the survey, 46 percent are registered Democrats, 25 percent are registered Republicans, 27 percent are registered to vote without a party preference, and 2 percent belong to another party.