More Than One-Third of California Voters Chose Between Rent, Food, and Utilities Last Month

A customer shops at a grocery store in Mill Valley, Calif., on June 11, 2024. Government data shows that the primary areas that demand increased spending for consumers to stay afloat are food, transportation, housing, and energy. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Emerson College has released new polling that shows the California economy remains top of mind for the state’s voters ahead of Election Day. The poll also shows that more than half of Californians have considered leaving the Golden State altogether due to the cost of living.

Thirty-one percent of California voters believe the economy to be the top issue, with 19 percent viewing housing affordability as the biggest issue facing the state. Other questions in the poll make it clear why California voters view the economy as so important, giving a snapshot of a state that is clearly suffering economically.

Approximately 37 percent of voters in California have had to choose between paying for food or utilities in the last month, while 63 percent have not. Furthermore, 35 percent have had to choose between paying for food or housing in the past month, while 65 percent have not. That’s more than a third of California voters who are having to make sacrifices between shelter, nutrition, and utilities.

Meanwhile, 26 percent have had to choose between food and prescription medications in the past month, while 74 percent have not.

According to the survey, 56 percent of California voters have considered moving from the state, citing cost of living as the reason. Forty-four percent have not thought about leaving.

Other top issues on the minds of California voters include healthcare (10 percent), education (10 percent), and crime (8 percent).

At the national level, The Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill survey of California voters reveals 59 percent support Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2024. Just 35 percent support former President Donald Trump. Among undecided voters, Harris leads Trump by a much narrower margin—52.1 percent to 47 percent.

Only 2 percent of voters support a different candidate. Although Emerson asked respondents to specify their choice, that data was not made available in the results. Four percent remain undecided, though these voters lean toward Harris.

“Since the September California poll, the margin between Trump and Harris has stayed the same at 24 points,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “Including who undecided voters are leaning toward, Harris’ 61 percent is slightly underperforming Joe Biden’s 2020 vote, of 63.5 percent, and Trump’s 37 percent is slightly overperforming his 2020 vote, of 34.3 percent.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the incumbent, leads former San Diego Padre, Los Angeles Dodger, and Republican Steve Garvey 56 percent to 33 percent in the U.S Senate Election, while 11 percent of voters are undecided. Garvey appeared in the World Series for both of the teams—four times with the Dodgers in the 1970s and once with the Padres in 1984.

Voters gave Gov. Gavin Newsom a 46 percent disapproval rating versus a 43 percent approval rating. Biden has a 46 percent approval among California voters.

Sixty-one percent view Kamala Harris favorably, and 39 percent unfavorably. And while 35 percent view Trump favorably, 65 percent hold an unfavorable view of the 45th president.

Around 77 percent of voters believe that California voters can rest assured their votes will be correctly counted in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, while 23 percent are not so confident.

An estimated 94 percent of Democrats believe votes will be counted properly versus just 54 percent of Republicans. Seventy percent of independents are confident their votes will be accurately counted.

Forty-one percent of voters are for increasing the number of deportations of illegal immigrants, while 36 percent believe it would make the situation worse. Meanwhile, 23 percent don’t believe it would have any impact.

Sixty-four percent believe there should be more opportunities for people to legally immigrate. Twenty-four percent do not want to increase opportunities for immigration and believe it would actually worsen the situation, while 13 percent don’t believe it would have an impact.

The poll was conducted Oct. 12–14 and included 1,000 respondents.