Majority of Californians believe state is going in the wrong direction: Poll

A majority of Californians believe the Golden State is going in the wrong direction, in a reversal of their feelings about the state a year ago.

A poll from the Public Policy Institute of California conducted from Aug. 25 to Sept. 5, shows that 55% of residents believe the state is headed in the wrong direction compared to 44% who believe the state is going in the right direction. The figure is a reversal from a September 2022 poll, which showed 50% believed the state was going in the right direction, and 44% said they thought the state was going in the wrong direction.

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The majority of the California residents also said they believe there will be bad times financially in the next 12 months, at 66%, compared to only 32% who think there will be good times financially, which is similar to how Californians felt this time last year

While California residents are pessimistic about the state of their Golden State, they are far more pessimistic about the country’s direction. A vast majority of residents, 70%, say they think the U.S. is going in the wrong direction, compared to only 29% who think the country is going in the right direction.

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Despite the pessimism by residents, a majority still have a positive opinion of Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D-CA) job performance. Residents approve of his job performance 53% to 45%, despite facing a recall election only two years ago. Newsom was able to soundly defeat the recall effort in 2021 and was reelected to a second term in 2022, by nearly 20%.

The Golden State has faced several challenges in recent years, including a slow recovery from prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns, along with homelessness in crime in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Newsom has recently taken action on several key issues facing the state, including gun laws and homelessness.