California Economic Survey Results
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The inaugural survey was conducted between December 9 and December 16, 2025 by the polling firm YouGov. Respondents were screened to be California residents aged 18 years or older. There were 1,542 completed responses. Responses were weighted by demographics to be representative of the underlying population.
Survey Results
Figure 1. Indices of Consumer Sentiment
Indices calculated using University of Michigan Index Calculations
- Index of consumer sentiment is 80.3% in California and 74.0% in USA.
- Index of current economic conditions if 75.8% in California and 77.7% in USA.
- Index of consumer expectations is 83.2% in California and 71.6% in USA.
Figure 2. Californians rank inflation and housing issues as the greatest issues on our state
% of Californians that rank each issue as the most important issue facing CA
- Inflation 21.7%
- Housing costs 18.2%
- Homelessness 15%
- Climate change and the environment 8.4%
- Illegal immigration 7.2%
- Taxes 5.9%
- Crime 5.9%
- Government regulation 5.1%
- Healthcare costs 4.5%
- Lack of good jobs/unemployment 3.6%
Figure 3. Satisfaction With The Government
% of Constituents that believe CA (left) or US (right) is on the right, wrong, or not sure track
Data for U.S. is from the . Polls registered voters across the U.S.
- 41% of Californians believe the government is wrong; 21.1% not sure; and 37.8% believe government is right
- 61.9% of U.S. believe the government is wrong; 12.3% not sure; and 25.8% believe government is right
Figure 4. Legal Immigration
Difficulty
25% of Californians believe that legal migration should be harder; 41.4% no change/ not sure; and 33.6% believe legal migration should be harder
Quantity
22% of Americans believe that the number of legal immigrants should be decreased; 46% say it should be kept at its present level; and 30% believe it should be increased
Data for U.S. is from the from the Pew Research Center
Figure 5. Californians are more optimistic regarding AI
Impact
35.3% of Californians believe there will be a negative impact of AI on society; 32.2% are neither positive nor negative/ not sure; and 32.5% are positive
Harmful vs. Beneficial
31% of Americans believe AI will do more harm that good; 56% say equal amounts of harm and good; and 13% believe AI will do more good than harm
Data for U.S. is from the from the Gallup
Survey Questions
In addition to the questions below, respondents were asked about their gender, age, race, ethnicity, education level, income level, political affiliation, marital status, region in California, profession, number of children, veteran status, and disability status.
Consumer Sentiment
| Question | Response options |
|---|---|
| We are interested in how people are getting along financially these days. Would you say that you (and your family) are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago? | Better now financially than a year ago; Same; Worse now financially than a year ago |
| Why do you say you are [better off financially than/about the same as/worse off financially than] you (and your family) were a year ago? (Please list all your reasons.) | (Exact question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| Thinking back 5 years, would you say that you (and your family living there) are better off or worse off financially now than you were 5 years ago? | Better now financially than 5 years ago; Same; Worse now financially than 5 years ago |
| Now looking ahead--do you think that a year from now you (and your family) will be better off financially, worse off financially, or just about the same as now? | Will be better off financially a year from now; Same; Will be worse off financially a year from now |
| And 5 years from now, do you expect that you (and your family) will be better off financially, worse off financially, or just about the same as now? | Will be better off financially 5 years from now; Same; Will be worse off financially 5 years from now |
| During the next year or two, do you expect that your (family) income will go up more than prices will go up, about the same as prices go up, or less than prices will go up? | Income will go up more than prices in the next year or two; Income will go up same as prices go up; Income will go up less than prices in the next year or two |
| During the next 12 months, do you expect your total (family) income to be higher or lower than during the past year? | Income will be higher than during the past year; Income will be about the same; Income will be lower than during the past year |
| Do you mean that you expect your total (family) income to go up at the same rate as now, or that income will not go up during the next 12 months? | Income will go up at the same rate as now; Income will not go up |
| By about what percent do you expect your total (family) income to increase during the next 12 months? | % (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| By about what percent do you expect your total (family) income to decrease during the next 12 months? | % (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| To confirm, you expect your total family income to increase during the next 12 months by [X%]. Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| To confirm, you expect your total family income to decrease during the next 12 months by [X%]. Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
Statewide and national situation
| Question | Response options |
|---|---|
| Now turning to business conditions in the country as a whole--do you think that during the next 12 months we'll have good times financially or bad times financially? | Good times financially during the next 12 months; Partly good and partly bad; Bad times financially during the next 12 months |
| Would you say that at the present time business conditions in the country as a whole are better or worse than they were a year ago? | Better than a year ago; »ÆÉ«µçÓ° the same; Worse than a year ago |
| During the last few months, have you heard of any favorable or unfavorable changes in business conditions? | Yes, heard of changes in business conditions; No |
| What did you hear? | (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| Would that be favorable or unfavorable? | Favorable; Unfavorable |
| Have you heard of any other favorable or unfavorable changes in business conditions? | Yes; No |
| What did you hear? | (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| Would that be favorable or unfavorable? | Favorable; Unfavorable |
| And how about a year from now, do you expect that in the country as a whole, business conditions will be better or worse than they are at present, or just about the same? | Better a year from now; »ÆÉ«µçÓ° the same; Worse a year from now |
| Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely -- that in the country as a whole we'll have continuous good times during the next 5 years or so, or that we will have periods of widespread unemployment or depression? | Continuous good times during the next 5 years or so; Partly good and partly bad; Continuous bad times (e.g. periods of widespread unemployment or depression) during the next 5 years or so |
| As to the economic policy of the government -- meaning steps taken to fight inflation or unemployment -- would you say the government is doing a good job, only fair, or a poor job? | Good job on economic policy; Only fair; Poor job on economic policy |
| How about people out of work during the coming 12 months -- do you think that there will be more unemployment than now, about the same, or less unemployment than now? | More unemployment in the next 12 months; »ÆÉ«µçÓ° the same level of unemployment; Less unemployment in the next 12 months |
| No one can say for sure, but what do you think will happen to interest rates for borrowing money during the next 12 months--will they go up, stay the same, or go down? | Interest rates will go up in the next 12 months; Interest rates will stay the same; Interest rates will go down in the next 12 months |
| During the next 12 months, do you think that prices in general will go up, go down, or stay where they are now? | Prices will go up in the next 12 months; Prices will go up at the same rate as now; Prices will be unchanged; Prices will go down in the next 12 months |
| By about what percent do you expect prices to go up on the average, during the next 12 months? (Please report a number from 0.1 to 100). | % (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| By about what percent do you expect prices to go down on the average, during the next 12 months? (Please report a number from 0.1 to 100). | % (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| To confirm, you expect prices to go up during the next 12 months by [X%]. Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| To confirm, you expect prices to go down during the next 12 months by [X%]. Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| What about the outlook for prices over the next 5 to 10 years? Do you think that prices in general will go up, go down, or stay where they are now? | Prices will go up in the next 5-10 years; Prices will go up at the same rate as now; Prices will be unchanged; Prices will go down in the next 5-10 years |
| By about what percent do you expect prices to go up on the average, during the next 5 to 10 years? (Please report a number from 0.1 to 100). | % (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| By about what percent do you expect prices to go down on the average, during the next 5 to 10 years? (Please report a number from 0.1 to 100). | % (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| To confirm, you expect prices to go up during the next 5-10 years by [X%]. Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| To confirm, you expect prices to go down during the next 5-10 years by [X%]. Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| Which of the two problems – unemployment or inflation do you think will cause the more serious economic hardship for people during the next year or so? | Unemployment; Both serious; Inflation |
| Do you think that the price of gasoline will go up during the next five years, will gasoline prices go down, or will they stay about the same as they are now? | Gasoline prices will go up in the next 5 years; Gasoline prices will stay the same; Gasoline prices will go down in the next 5 years |
| »ÆÉ«µçÓ° how many cents per gallon do you think gasoline prices will go up during the next five years compared to now? (Please report whole numbers.) | ¢ (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| »ÆÉ«µçÓ° how many cents per gallon do you think gasoline prices will go down during the next five years compared to now? (Please report whole numbers.) | ¢ (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| To confirm, you expect gasoline prices to increase [X] cents per gallon during the next 5 years? Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| To confirm, you expect gasoline prices to decrease [X] cents per gallon during the next 5 years? Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| Do you think that the price of gasoline will go up during the next twelve months, will gasoline prices go down, or will they stay about the same as they are now? | Gasoline prices will go up in next 12 months; Gasoline prices will stay the same; Gasoline prices will go down in next 12 months |
| »ÆÉ«µçÓ° how many cents per gallon do you think gasoline prices will go up during the next 12 months compared to now? (Please report whole numbers.) | ¢ (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| »ÆÉ«µçÓ° how many cents per gallon do you think gasoline prices will go down during the next 12 months compared to now? (Please report whole numbers.) | ¢ (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| To confirm, you expect gasoline prices to increase [X] cents per gallon during the next 12 months? Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| To confirm, you expect gasoline prices to decrease [X] cents per gallon during the next 12 months? Is that correct? | Yes; No (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| What is the most important issue facing California today? | Inflation; Housing costs; Homelessness; Climate change and the environment; Illegal immigration; Taxes; Crime; Government regulation; Healthcare costs; Lack of good jobs/unemployment; Other |
| Do you approve or disapprove of the job Gavin Newsom is doing as Governor of California? | Strongly approve; Somewhat approve; Somewhat disapprove; Strongly disapprove; Not sure |
| Would you say things in California today are… | Generally headed in the right direction; Off on the wrong track; Not sure |
Housing
| Question | Response Options |
|---|---|
| Generally speaking, do you think now is a good time or a bad time to buy a house? | Good time to buy a house; Bad time to buy a house |
| Why do you say it is a [good/bad] time to buy a house? (Please list all your reasons.) | (Exact question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| What about selling a house -- generally speaking, do you think now is a good time or a bad time to sell a house? | u think now is a good time or a bad time to sell a house? Good time to sell a house; Bad time to sell a house |
| Why do you say it is a [good/bad] time to sell a house? (Please list all your reasons.) | (Exact question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| Think about the big things people buy for their homes -- such as furniture, a refrigerator, stove, television, and things like that. Generally speaking, do you think now is a good or a bad time for people to buy major household items? | Good time to buy major household items; Bad time to buy major household items |
| Why do you say it is a [good/bad] time to buy major household items? (Please list all your reasons.) | (Exact question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| Do you own or rent the place you currently live? | Own; Rent; Other |
| »ÆÉ«µçÓ° how much do you spend each month on rent? | $ (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| »ÆÉ«µçÓ° what is the total amount you spend each month on your mortgage, insurance, property tax, and homeowner’s fees? | $ (Question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
| Do you favor or oppose building more houses, condos and apartments in your community? | Favor; Oppose; Not sure |
| 12 months from now, do you think the price of houses in your neighborhood will have increased or decreased? | Increased; Stayed the same; Decreased |
| By about how much do you think house prices will have increased? | By less than 2%; By 2-5%; By 5-10%; By more than 10% (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| By about how much do you think house prices will have decreased? | By less than 2%; By 2-5%; By 5-10%; By more than 10% (Question asked dependent on previous question) |
| Are you considering moving to a different state? | Yes; No; Not sure |
| What would cause you to move to another state? | (Exact question asked dependent on previous question, Open-ended) |
Immigration
| Question | Response options |
|---|---|
| In general, do you think immigration makes the U.S. better off or worse off? | Better off; No effect; Worse off; Not sure |
| Now thinking about LEGAL immigration, should it be easier or harder for someone to move here from another country and become an American citizen? | Easier; Harder; No change; Not sure |
| How serious a problem is illegal immigration in the U.S. as a whole? | Very serious; Somewhat serious; A minor problem; Not a problem; Not sure |
| How serious a problem is illegal immigration in your LOCAL community? | Very serious; Somewhat serious; A minor problem; Not a problem; Not sure |
| In your local community, are there a lot of new immigrants who have recently come to live here? | Many new immigrants; A few new immigrants; Almost none |
Artificial Intelligence
| Question | Response options |
|---|---|
| Do you think that the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on society will be...? | Very positive; Somewhat positive; Neither positive nor negative; Somewhat negative; Very negative; Not sure |
| Overall, do you think that artificial intelligence (AI) should be...? | Much more regulated; Somewhat more regulated; Have no change in regulation; Somewhat less regulated; Much less regulated; Not sure |
| How concerned are you that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to…(list: )? 1) The loss of personal privacy 2)The end of the human race on Earth 3)The spread of misinformation in elections 4)The spread of manipulated video and audio 5)The loss of human jobs | Very concerned; Somewhat concerned; Not very concerned; Not concerned at all; Not sure |
| How likely is it that your job will be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) in the next five years? | Very likely; Somewhat likely; Somewhat unlikely; Very unlikely |
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