According to a shocking new poll, nearly half of California residents are contemplating leaving the state — though 70% still report that they enjoy living in California.
…and bringing California politics along with them. https://t.co/7WDsBi9uLF
— RazörFist (@RAZ0RFIST) June 24, 2023
While the far-left state continues to decline due to the skyrocketing cost of living, rampant homelessness, increased public drug use, and rising crime, the main concern of the poll’s respondents is financial security.
The survey, which was conducted by research firm Strategies 360 and published in partnership with the Los Angeles Times and several nonprofit organizations, showed that financial concerns were one of the biggest motivations for California residents’ decision to contemplate moving out of the state.
“Even if folks make the same income as they did even just three years ago, their sense of financial security has fallen dramatically,” Ben Winston, a political consultant for Strategies 360, told the LA Times.
According to the poll, only 28% of California households earning between $50,000 and $100,000 per year report being able to comfortably save for the future, while 17% report that it is difficult keeping up with bills from month to month — which is double the figure from a few years ago.
The poll shows that even Californians who are making more than $100,000 annually are feeling the effects of inflation and an increase in the cost of living — with 57% of people in high-earning households reporting feeling financially comfortable compared to 77% in 2020.
According to data from RentCafe, the cost of living in the deep-blue state is 39% higher than the national average, while housing costs are twice as high as the national average.
"It's no coincidence that California has the highest cost of living in the continental US.
The Biden Administration wants to make California’s labor policies the standard for the entire Nation. But if they did so, where would people move to escape these burdensome regulations?"
— America First Policy Institute (@A1Policy) June 23, 2023
The survey was also broken down by political affiliation, with 32% of California conservatives reporting that they are very seriously considering leaving the state and 27% saying that they are somewhat serious about leaving the state.
Meanwhile, 47% of liberal Californians reported that they have never considered leaving the state, compared to just 15% of conservative residents.
California is facing several crises alongside the skyrocketing cost of living, with one recent report showing that one-third of all homeless people in the United States reside in California. California residents aren’t the only ones fleeing the state, as recent reports show that businesses have also begun a mass exodus. With the skyrocketing crime, homelessness, and drug use, many businesses in the state have started locking up all of their merchandise or even closing their stores altogether.
