Democrats and Republicans see California's problems very differently, according to a new poll

San Francisco Chronicle / April 14th, 2022

The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies released the results of a poll on April 14 that presented nearly 8,700 California registered voters with 15 of the state’s most prominent issues. About 51% of the response was from Democrats, 26% was from Republicans and the rest was from no party preference or other. The polls asked voters to rank two of the issues as the most important, then organized their responses by political party.

Housing affordability, homelessness and climate change are Democrats’ top three issues, according to the poll. None of these issues even make it to the top of Republicans’ priority list: California GOP voters cited crime and public safety, gas prices and immigration as their primary concerns.

The differences among political parties’ top issues are vast in nearly every case. Nearly 4 in 10 Republicans surveyed cited crime and public safety as a top concern, while only 14% of Democrats said the same thing.

In a vivid illustration of voters’ different priorities, just 2% of Republicans believe climate change is a top issue facing the state, while nearly one in three Democrats listed it as a top concern. Meanwhile, double the number of Republicans are worried about high gas prices as Democrats.

LINK (probably paywall): https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/California-Democrats-Republicans-Poll-17081950.php

Also (from the link): Independent voters, overall, appear to be more aligned with Democrats’ priorities.

That's good news.

Bottom line? Not much of a surprise.