Lowest Public View of State´s Economy in 20 Years

A Field Poll released today says three of four California voters think the state is on the wrong track and its financial condition has gotten worse in the past year. The 76 percent who offered a dim assessment of state´s finances is the highest figure recorded by the poll since the question first was asked in 1982.

Despite such concerns, however, many residents are still glad to call themselves Californians, the poll found. Some 47 percent rate the state as one of the best places to live and another 32 percent said it was nice, but not outstanding.

Two-thirds of those questioned said they were either very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with the new state budget. Nearly twice as many Republican voters fell into the very dissatisfied category as Democrats.

More than eight out of ten voters said they think the state is in a bad economic period, compared to 56 percent who felt that way last year.