Most Californians Say Income Inequality Growing and Economic Opportunity Falling, New Poll Finds

Californians may be split on many political and social issues, but a solid majority agree that the gap between the rich and poor is growing wider.

A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) finds that nearly 70% of adults across California think income disparities are increasing in the region where they live. And more than 60% believe that kids growing up in the state today will be worse off than they are.

But PPIC President Mark Baldassare, who directed the survey, said the results show that even in this highly partisan period, there’s strong consensus among Californians about how to fix the problem, " ... whether it comes to creating more affordable child care for lower-income workers, improving job training [or] finding ways to provide housing close to work in regions that are more affordable for people."

Not surprisingly, housing is one of the top concerns among adults in California, a quarter of whom say they worry constantly about the cost of it, according to the poll.

"That's a lot of people," Baldassare said. "And this is in the context of people saying that the lack of well-paying jobs in their regions is a big problem."

In fact, he noted, about 20% of those surveyed say they're seriously considering moving out of state because of a dearth of the kind of well-paying jobs they would need to afford to live here.

Roughly one in five Californians say that they or someone in their household over the last year has cut back on food (21%), put off seeing a doctor or purchasing medicine to save money (18%), been unable to pay a monthly bill (17%) or had difficulty paying the rent or mortgage (17%), the poll finds. Interestingly, the results are similar to those from last November's survey, which was conducted when many statewide COVID-19 restrictions were still in effect.

The poll also finds significant differences across racial and ethnic groups, with Latinos and African Americans most likely to report any of these issue. Meanwhile the share of people experiencing these difficulties declines as age increases.

In light of affordability concerns, most Californians are also strongly supportive of more government assistance, the poll finds, with more than 75% of adult residents saying the government should help lower-income families pay for child care. The share of people who say they support increased funding for job-training programs is even higher — at 81%.

"I think people in California will be looking [with] great interest now in terms of what the federal government is going to be able to provide, as well as what the state government might be able to provide, in terms of support for expanding child care for lower-income workers and expanding job training so that more people can find their way to good-paying jobs in California," Baldassare said.

The poll results come as Democrats in Washington, D.C., continue to negotiate the terms of a $1.75 trillion social spending package that could include subsidized child care and universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Findings in the survey are based on interviews with 2,292 adult residents throughout California, conducted from Oct. 12–31, 2021.

The poll's sampling error is ±3.2%, at the 95% confidence level, meaning that 95 times out of 100, the results will be within 3.2 percentage points of what they would be if all adults in California were interviewed.