Polls

California favors gay marriage, legal marijuana

| Dustin Ingalls

Header-poll-results
Raleigh, N.C. –
Though they passed Prop 8 by five points, Californians now favor legal same-sex marriage by the same margin, a ten-point reversal in three years.  Further, the consensus for legal equality, which is already largely a reality with domestic partnership rights, reaches more than three-quarters supermajority support.  Given the option of civil unions as well as full marriage rights, 43% of the state’s voters still prefer marriage, with another 35% liking the civil-union status quo.  Only 21% do not want any legal recognition for gay couples, less than half the 43% who want same-sex marriage itself to remain illegal.  85% of Democrats, 79% of independents, and even 65% of Republicans favor at least civil unions.

Similarly, voters rejected Prop 19, which would have legalized, regulated, and taxed the sale of marijuana, by seven points last fall.  But by a 48-42 margin, they now favor legalizing marijuana usage, a 13-point turnaround in one year.

Californians have almost the reverse opinion of the Occupy Wall Street movement as Americans as a whole.  While only a third of Americans in PPP’s latest national survey support the movement’s goals, and 45% oppose them, 44% of Golden State voters support their aims, and only 35% oppose them.  But Californians do not look highly upon the branch of the movement right under their noses.  Only 30% see Occupy Oakland favorably, and 48% unfavorably.

Californians may have not soured on Sen. Dianne Feinstein or President Obama, but Gov. Jerry Brown’s honeymoon is over.  In January, twice as many approved as disapproved of their new/old governor’s performance (50-25), but that is now down to 46-38.  Sen. Barbara Boxer has emerged above water, at 46-43, versus 45-47 in January.

Voters are not keen on the idea of splitting California into two states.  27% want that, but 61% do not.  At 37%, Republicans are most in favor, and Democrats least (20%).

PPP surveyed 500 California voters from November 10th to 13th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-4.4%.  This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews. PPP is a Democratic polling company, but polling expert Nate Silver of the New York Times found that its surveys in 2010 actually exhibited a slight bias toward Republican candidates.

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor
Jerry Brown’s job performance?
Approve…………….. 46%
Disapprove………… 38%
Not sure ……………. 16%

Q2 Do you approve or disapprove of Lieutenant
Governor Gavin Newsom’s job performance?
Approve…………….. 33%
Disapprove………… 33%
Not sure ……………. 34%

Q3 Do you approve or disapprove of Attorney
General Kamala Harris’ job performance?
Approve…………….. 33%
Disapprove………… 26%
Not sure ……………. 41%

Q4 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator
Barbara Boxer’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .46%
Disapprove…………. .43%
Not sure …………….. .10%

Q5 Do you support or oppose the State Senate
district lines drawn by the California Citizens
Redistricting Commission?
Support ………………………………………………….. 30%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 21%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 49%

Q6 Do you support or oppose the goals of the
Occupy Wall Street movement?
Support ………………………………………………….. 44%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 35%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%

Q7 Do you support or oppose the goals of the Tea
Party movement?
Support ………………………………………………….. 35%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 55%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Q8 Do you have a higher opinion of the Occupy
Wall Street movement or the Tea Party
movement?
Occupy Wall Street ………………………………….. 48%
Tea Party ……………………………………………….. 36%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%

Q9 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Occupy Oakland?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 30%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 48%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%

Q10 Do you think the use of force by the Oakland
Police Department against Scott Olsen was
justified or not?
It was justified …………………………………………. 23%
It was not ……………………………………………….. 36%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 41%

Q11 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
legal or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 48%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 43%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Q12 Which of the following best describes your
opinion on gay marriage: gay couples should
be allowed to legally marry, or gay couples
should be allowed to form civil unions but not
legally marry, or there should be no legal
recognition of a gay couple’s relationship?
Gay couples should be allowed to legally
marry ……………………………………………………..43%
Gay couples should be allowed to form civil
unions but not marry …………………………………35%
There should be no legal recognition of a gay
couple’s relationship …………………………………21%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 1%

Q13 Do you think marijuana usage should be legal
or illegal?
Legal……………………………………………………… 48%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 42%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Q14 Would you support or oppose splitting Northern
California and Southern California into two
separate states?
Support ………………………………………………….. 27%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 61%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%

Q15 Out of California’s four schools in the PAC 12,
which is your favorite: Cal-Berkley, Stanford,
UCLA, or USC?
Cal-Berkley …………………………………………….. 20%
Stanford …………………………………………………. 26%
UCLA…………………………………………………….. 27%
USC………………………………………………………. 14%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

Q16 Given the choices of the Atlanta Braves,
Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles
Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York
Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Diego
Padres, and San Francisco Giants, which is
your favorite major league baseball team?
Braves …………………………………………………… 2%
Red Sox…………………………………………………. 5%
Cubs ……………………………………………………… 8%
Angels……………………………………………………. 15%
Dodgers …………………………………………………. 16%
Yankees …………………………………………………. 6%
A’s…………………………………………………………. 9%
Padres …………………………………………………… 8%
Giants ……………………………………………………. 25%
Someone else/Don’t have a favorite team …… 7%

Q17 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 34%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 58%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 8%

Q18 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 12%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 25%
Moderate………………………………………………… 27%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 21%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 15%

Q19 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 53%
Man……………………………………………………….. 47%

Q20 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 50%
Republican……………………………………………… 30%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 20%

Q21 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If Asian, press 4.
If other, press 5.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 22%
White …………………………………………………….. 58%
African-American …………………………………….. 5%
Asian……………………………………………………… 8%
Other……………………………………………………… 8%

Q22 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 14%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 28%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 38%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%

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