Here is the full text of the third Independent California Poll, currently being conducted by YouGov.
We should have results by the end of June. If you’d like to get on the list for our press release, please email press@ic.institute.
A California-based non-profit is conducting a poll to learn what Californians would think about California having more political autonomy, either within the U.S. or as an independent country.
Q: Which statement do you agree with most?
- I feel more American than Californian
- I feel more Californian than American
- I feel equally Californian and American
Q: Which government do you trust more? California’s state government in Sacramento, or the federal government in Washington, DC?
Q: California governors Gavin Newsom and Arnold Schwarzenegger have sometimes called California a “nation-state,” implying that California is in some ways its own nation. How accurate is it to refer to California this way?
Now you’re going to be asked to imagine how California might fare as an independent country.
Q: Suppose that a majority of Californians wanted California to peacefully secede from the U.S. and become an independent country. Would that be possible?
Pick the statement you agree with the most:
- California could become an independent country with the approval of Congress, like Cuba and the Philippines did.
- California could never become an independent country because the Civil War decided that states cannot secede.
Q: California’s economy is bigger than Canada’s, and its population is about the same size.
Regardless of your answer to the previous question, imagine that at some point in the next ten years, California were to peacefully become an independent country with a friendly relationship with the U.S.
Compared to the way things are now, do you think Californians would be…
- Much better off
- Somewhat better off
- Somewhat worse off
- Much worse off
Q: Please select all the ways you think Californians might be better off if California peacefully became an independent country:
- Abortion access
- Crime
- Civil rights
- Democracy
- Economic opportunity
- Education
- Environment
- Health care
- Housing
- Immigration
- Labor rights
- LGBTQ+ rights
- National security
- Rule of law
- Taxes
- Trade
- Water
- Wildfires
Q: Please select all the ways you think Californians might be worse off if California peacefully became an independent country:
[remaining options from previous question]
Q: Suppose there were a statewide ballot proposition to declare California’s intention to peacefully and legally withdraw from the United States, through negotiation with the federal government.
If the election were held today, how would you vote on this proposition?
Q: Do you think California will be an independent country some day?
Now you’re going to see some questions about how California could gain more autonomy while remaining part of the United States.
Q: Some countries, like the United Kingdom and Spain, grant certain parts of the country more autonomy over their own affairs, including health care, environmental policy, and how to spend taxes collected by the national government.
Suppose that at some point in the next ten years, California negotiated a special autonomous status for itself, giving Californians more control over decisions currently made by the federal government. California would still be part of the U.S.
Compared to the way things are now, do you think Californians would be…
- Much better off
- Somewhat better off
- Somewhat worse off
- Much worse off
Q: Should California create a permanent commission dedicated to helping the state gain more autonomy from the federal government, including more control over federal tax dollars paid by Californians?
Q: Although Californians are systematically under-represented in the U.S. Senate and the Electoral College, Californians have tremendous power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Are California’s U.S. Representatives justified in using hardball tactics, such as refusing to vote for the budget or other must-pass bills, to gain greater autonomy for California?
Now you’re going to see some questions about federal land and water infrastructure (including dams and canals) in California.
Q: About 45% of California’s land and nearly half of California’s water infrastructure is owned and controlled by the federal government.
Suppose that at some point over the next ten years, California negotiated transferring ownership of nearly all federal land and federal water infrastructure to California’s state and local governments. California would otherwise remain a regular U.S. state.
Compared to the way things are now, do you think Californians would be…
- Much better off
- Somewhat better off
- Somewhat worse off
- Much worse off
Q: Should nearly all federal land in California be transferred to, and managed by, state and local governments?
Q: Should nearly all federal water infrastructure in California (including dams and canals) be transferred to, and managed by, state and local water agencies?
Almost two million Californians are undocumented immigrants. About three million Californians are documented but do not have U.S. citizenship.
Since the current U.S. president was inaugurated in January, his administration has deported long-term California residents with no criminal record, sent deportees to perform forced labor in a “terrorism confinement center” in El Salvador, detained lawful permanent residents for their speech, and deported children who are U.S. citizens.
How should California respond? Please give your opinion on the following proposed policies.
Q: California law limits the ways state and local law enforcement can collaborate with ICE and other federal immigration enforcement agencies, but does not entirely prohibit collaboration. There is no explicit penalty for state and local government employees who collaborate in violation of state law.
Should California adopt an enforceable policy of total non-collaboration with ICE and other federal immigration authorities?
Q: Since January, there have been several documented cases of federal immigration authorities acting maliciously or carrying out enforcement actions that federal courts have deemed unlawful.
Should police in California arrest federal immigration officers who act maliciously or knowingly exceed their authority under federal law and charge them with assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, human trafficking, or other crimes?
Q: Some California officials, including county sheriffs, have openly stated their intent to help federal immigration authorities violate the due process rights of immigrants, in violation of state law.
Should California change its laws to make it easier to sue these officials and hold them civilly accountable for their actions?
Q: Should California make it easier for elected county supervisors to remove sheriffs who violate state law or the policies of the county they serve?
Q: Should California’s U.S. Representatives vote against any federal budget that enables mass deportation of undocumented Californians, even if that leads to a temporary government shutdown?
Q: The U.S. Constitution has always allowed states to grant state citizenship to state residents who are not U.S. citizens. It requires all states to grant citizens of other states the same privileges and immunities that their own state citizens have.
Should California create a path to state citizenship for long-term California residents who don’t hold U.S. citizenship?
Please give your opinion on some other policies that would increase California’s independence from the federal government.
Q: Should California’s state government create a new law enforcement division focused on violent extremism and hate crimes, so that Californians are less dependent on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ensure their safety?
Q: California has 16 Border Protection Stations along its borders with Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. These stations are primarily used to inspect plant material for agricultural pests.
Should California use its Border Control Stations more like a country by checking for illegal guns, drugs, and other contraband?
Q: California’s state government has a Rainy Day Fund, but California’s constitution caps how much money can be set aside in the fund. Currently the cap is about $21 billion, while California’s annual budget is about $210 billion.
Should California double the maximum size of its Rainy Day Fund, as some state legislators are proposing, to reduce California’s dependence on the federal government during a major natural disaster or economic downturn?
Q: Both the California and U.S. constitutions guarantee equal protection under the law.
However, in California, there is a loophole: a discriminatory ballot initiative can simply amend the California constitution’s definition of equal protection so that it doesn’t apply to the initiative.
Prop 8 (2008), the same-sex marriage ban, used this loophole to exempt itself from equal protection review by California’s court system. Prop 8 was finally struck down in federal court in 2013.
Should California revise its constitution to close this loophole?
Q: California state law requires state and local government buildings to fly the California and American flags.
Do you think the law should be changed to make it optional to fly the American flag?
Q: Should California’s Supreme Court openly ridicule and bypass U.S. Supreme Court decisions they believe deliberately misinterpret the U.S. Constitution?
Q: Since abortion became illegal in several U.S. states following the 2022 Dobbs decision, many U.S. companies have started providing travel benefits that cover the cost for employees who need to travel out-of-state for abortions.
Should the state of California guarantee that all U.S.-based employees of its contractors be able to access an abortion? State contractors would have the option of providing abortion travel benefits directly or having a portion of their contract payout put into a special state fund for that purpose.
Q: The state of Alaska has a sovereign wealth fund, called the Alaska Permanent Fund, that pays an annual dividend to every state resident that has lived within the state for a full calendar year and intends to remain a state resident indefinitely. It is a form of universal basic income (UBI).
Should the state of California create its own sovereign wealth fund to provide UBI to California residents?
Q: Congress appears likely to pass a budget that extends the 2017 Trump tax cuts while cutting funding for Medicaid and other federally-funded, state-run programs.
To compensate for the loss of federal funding, should California’s legislature recapture some of the Trump tax cuts by raising income taxes on Californians earning over $1 million each year?
