California Voters Strongly Back UC System, Poll Finds
Photo: Elena Zhukova/University of California
India-West Staff Reporter
OAKLAND, CA — A new poll by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley shows that California voters overwhelmingly support the University of California system and its campuses. This broad support spans across diverse demographic groups, including different ages, races, and political affiliations.
The poll results, coming in the wake of financial challenges, highlight public confidence in the UC system’s contributions.
According to the IGS poll, a strong majority of voters, 66 percent, believe UC helps students get ahead, while 71 percent agree that its campuses produce important research that benefits California communities.
Voter consensus was particularly high regarding UC’s medical centers, with 77 percent of voters affirming their importance to local communities. “The very high support for the medical centers among members of both parties is a rare case of consensus across party lines in today’s highly polarized era,” said Eric Schickler, IGS co-director. Notably, this included strong agreement from 75 percent of Republicans and 80 percent of Democrats.
The poll also found that 70 percent of voters would recommend a close friend or relative enroll in a UC school. This positive sentiment was consistent across all demographic groups. Among UC graduates polled, a strong majority of 76 percent felt their degree was “worth its costs,” with this view being consistent across different racial, religious, age, and ideological groups.
“It is clear from these results that Californians not only value the University and its educational, research and health care contributions, but that voters want to see funding for UC prioritized in this time of financial uncertainty,” said Meredith Vivian Turner, UC senior vice president of External Relations and Communications.
This sentiment is reflected in the poll’s finding that 58 percent of voters believe state funding for the UC system should be increased.
