Polls Show: Majority of Californians Want to Leave

The “Trust Barometer” poll, by Edelman Intelligence, was conducted January 4-20 among 1,500 California residents, with a margin of error of 2.5%. A special oversample of 400 tech workers in the San Francisco Bay Area was also conducted, with a margin of error of 4.8%.

The results are sobering. Nearly two-thirds, 62%, of respondents said they believed the best days of California were in the past.

In addition, more than two-thirds, 68%, of Californians, believe the tech industry has been under-regulated — up 6% from 2018. That proportion is slightly higher among tech employees, 69% of whom think their industry has been under-regulated. 58% of Californians said the tech industry should be more regulated, up 12% from last year.

Nearly three-fourths of residents, 72%, say “cost and availability of housing is a very serious issue for California” — rising to 76% in the Bay Area.

And 62% of residents say “homelessness is a very serious issue for California. The proportion in the Bay Area is the same.

SFGate.com notes: “It appears the housing and homelessness crises have led to a pessimistic outlook.”