With its unparalleled natural splendor and cultural charm, California is a lighthouse that attracts people from all over the world who have put down roots in it and call it home.

A new statewide poll found that nearly 70% of residents say they are happy living here, with the state’s diversity, economic opportunities and enjoyable lifestyles cited as reasons to stay. ing.

But many residents are considering packing up and leaving. Many also believe the state is headed in the wrong direction and are uneasy about the direction of the economy and the ability of the people to pay.

the findings of New Poll by Consortium of Local Nonprofits Attempting to assess the state’s mood illustrates the contradictions unfolding across the Golden State. People are content with the benefits the country’s largest state has had to offer, and generally support the country’s liberal stance on social issues, but are also far more concerned about public health issues. ing. Life has become richer than last year.

These numbers give some insight into the themes that will emerge in the battle for Senate vacancies and hot spots in California next year. In the Senate election, Democrats Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and a number of other candidates are running to replace 90-year-old Senator Diane Feinstein.

Additionally, California has several battlegrounds that will play a pivotal role in whether the Democrats win the House of Representatives.

“Voters who are worried about the economy but happy with the cultural climate,” said Dan Schner, a professor of political communications at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Berkeley, who helped lead the study. “It’s a complicated task for a candidate who has to appeal to such complex emotions.”

Governor Gavin Newsom contrasted California’s openness to values ​​and diversity with the wave of conservative, “anti-awakening” sweeping through Texas, Florida, and other Republican-led states, pushing the nation’s Schner pointed out that it has increased the profile of the company.A recent interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity is the most recent example, in which Newsom said: boasted about his appearance “I’m proud of the fact that working families are treated better in California than in more conservative states like Texas.”

“These poll results show that voters are more likely to accept a state-versus-national message on issues related to diversity and race relations. We’re going to bring our values ​​to Washington,” Schner said.

When asked what best describes the state, nearly 70% of Californians surveyed cited diversity, a welcoming atmosphere, and an abundance of satisfying activities . About 60% of residents said it was a state where they felt included. Among black residents, the number jumped to nearly two-thirds.

But polls also showed evidence to the contrary. When asked whether California had “overcorrected and gone too far in its attempt to give equal rights to all,” Californians were evenly split. A majority of white Californians agreed with this statement. The majority of California blacks disagreed. Latino and Asian poll respondents split sharply.Latinos in particular were split by age, with the majority of respondents saying he was over 50 A younger respondent said the country had gone too far, but disagreed.

The public was also significantly less aggressive on economic issues.

Nearly half (46%) of those surveyed said they struggled to save money or pay for unexpected expenses while making ends meet. That’s up 6 percentage points since April 2022, when residents were asked the same question. About 35% said they were comfortable living there, and 18% said they found it difficult to make ends meet each month.

More than 40% of residents said they were considering moving out of California, with nearly half saying they were “very seriously.” About 61% cited the high cost of living as a reason to go here. People of color are much more likely to say the cost of living in California is the reason they leave. Approximately 71% of Black or Asian/Pacific Islander residents considering moving cite the cost of living.

Nearly 30% of those surveyed said they would likely leave because state policies and laws were inconsistent with their political views, reflecting the current state-national polarization. are doing. Respondents who identified themselves as conservative were much more likely to cite state politics as a reason for considering migration.

Self-described Republicans were three times more likely than Democrats to say state politics was the reason they wanted to go.

Some blame Fox News and other conservative media coverage for everything from homelessness to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting stories critical of states, governors and their policies. there isIn the same interview with Hannity, Newsom said explained The Fox News report called it a “doom loop on California.”

“Politics is like this sometimes,” Mr. Schner said, evoking the reaction of some Democrats after Donald Trump’s victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

“Think of all the people who wanted to move to Canada or New Zealand when their favorite presidential candidate didn’t win,” Schner said.

Opinion polls show there was also a partisan feel to the grim mood over the state’s direction. 43% of residents said the state was on the wrong track, up 11 percentage points from February 2020. About 28% said the state was on the right track. Among those who identified themselves as Republicans, 83% said the state was heading in the wrong direction, as did about 20% of Democrats.

Whites were much more pessimistic about the state than people of color.

The survey also provided insight into the economic crisis many of us are feeling. About 80% of the residents answered that they were dissatisfied with their daily living expenses. Nearly 70% of residents are dissatisfied with the California economy, and about 55% of those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with medical and housing costs.

Inflation has fallen in recent months, following a year of rising prices and a worsening public perception of the country’s economic outlook. In California, where housing costs are particularly high, there is always the feeling of living on the edge.

About 46% of respondents say they can get by each month but struggle to save or pay for unexpected expenses. This is an increase of nearly 10 points compared to February 2020.

Nearly one-fifth of respondents said they find it difficult to make ends meet each month.

Anxiety among middle-income earners has caused an increase in those reporting economic stress.

In 2020, 54% of households earning between $50,000 and $100,000 said they could live comfortably and save for the future, and 34% said they could get by at least monthly. This year, only 28% of the same group said they could live comfortably and save for the future, and 17% said they had difficulty making ends meet, more than twice as many as a few years ago. became.

“People are dramatically less financially secure, even if they’re earning the same income as they did just three years ago,” said Ben Winston, a political consultant at Strategy360, the firm that designed and conducted the poll. says Mr.

He noted that a similar trend holds true for those earning $100,000 or more, with nearly half feeling financially underwhelmed. In 2020, 77% of this group of earners felt safe saving for the future. Now he’s down 20 percentage points to 57%.

of California Community Poll, Conducted from June 6th to June 16th, the survey was conducted by three teams: the Los Angeles Urban League, the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, and the Center for Asians United for Self-Empowerment. Sponsored by community organizations and developed in consultation with Times reporters and editors. The study, which was conducted online in English or Spanish among 1,354 Californians ages 18 and older, had an estimation error of +/-3 percentage points.