Public Opinions of Legislators

California April 2009.

Job Approval Ratings for California State Legislature
PPIC Statewide Survey, April 2009

Approve Disapprove Don’t Know
All Adults 23% 63% 14%
Registered Voters 21 68 11
Likely Voters 16 74 10

April 2008.
CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE PLUMMETS
At a time when the governor and the legislature need to reach an agreement to resolve the state budget
crisis, Californians’ confidence in the state’s leaders has declined, particularly in the area of K-12
education. Four in 10 Californians (41%) approve of Schwarzenegger’s overall job performance, down 3
points since last month (44% approval) and a steep 16 points since December (57% approval). Just 25
percent approve of his handling of K-12 education, down 11 points since last April and the lowest point
since we began asking this question in January 2005, when the governor’s approval rating in this area
stood at 34%.
The legislature fares worse in Californians’ estimation. Just one in four Californians (26%) approve of the
way lawmakers are doing their jobs overall, down 4 points since last month (30% approval) and 15 points
since December (41% approval). Only 21 percent of Californians approve of the way the legislature is
handling public schools, down 8 points from last April (29%).