Californians have been facing a record heat wave and wildfires across the state this summer. The state’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit prompted spending cuts for climate and energy programs. In response, the legislature approved a $10 billion state bond for the November ballot, which Western United Dairies helped secure. This bond asks voters to approve more funding for drought, floods, wildfires, coastal resilience, and extreme heat mitigation.

These are the key findings of the Californians and the Environment survey on local, state, and national issues and coastal and inland topics that was conducted June 24–July 2, 2024:

• Fifty-nine percent of California likely voters say they would vote “yes” on a $10 billion state bond measure for the November 2024 ballot to pay for flood protection and climate resiliency projects.
• Californians name climate change (17%) as the state’s most important environmental issue, followed by wildfires (15%) and water supply (14%)
• Eight in ten Californians are concerned that home insurance will become more expensive due to climate change risks.
• About six in ten adults and likely voters say it is more important for climate policies to address climate mitigation or reducing greenhouse gasses, while less than four in ten say it is more important to address climate adaptation or adapting to a harsher climate.
• Two in three Californians say environmental protection should be given priority, even at the risk of curbing economic growth (66% adults, 67% likely voters), while about three in ten say economic growth should be given priority even if the environment suffers to some extent (32% of both adults and likely voters).
• Two in three adults (66%) and likely voters (67%) favor the state law that requires 100 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources by the year 2045
  • However, when asked if they would be willing to pay more for electricity generated by renewable sources—such as solar or wind energy—in order to help reduce climate change, majorities of adults and likely voters say they would not be willing
• About a quarter of adults and a fifth of likely voters say they have considered moving to a different home to avoid the impacts of global warming, including sea-level rise, flooding, heat waves, and wildfires (predominantly renters)
• When asked if they are personally prepared for a disaster themselves, only 35 percent of adults say they are prepared for a disaster
• When asked about their handling of environmental issues today, Californians offer mixed reviews of the governor (52% approve, 45% disapprove) and the legislature (49% approve, 48% disapprove)
  • Approval of Governor Newsom’s handling of the environment is down 6 percentage points since last July (58%) and down 17 points since July 2020 (69%)