Californians are worried about deterioration of the state's higher education system and rising costs to students and their parents, but lack confidence in the ability of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators to deal with their concerns, a new Public Policy Institute of California poll indicates.
The PPIC poll found that strong majorities of Californians believe that state budget cuts and affordability are major problems with the University of California, state college and university and community college systems, while holding all three in high esteem.
However, equally strong majorities exhibit little confidence in politicians, PPIC found, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's overall approval rating at 28 percent, unchanged from a July poll, and the Legislature at 18 percent, one point higher than in July. Their approval scores on higher education issues are even lower.
Despite their concern about the colleges, strong majorities of those responding to the PPIC poll were unwilling to either raise college fees or taxes to offset reductions in state support.
"Californians hold their colleges and universities in high esteem," Mark Baldassare, PPIC president, said in a statement. "but they're worried about what's going to happen next. They're struggling with a crisis in the economy and a crisis of confidence in their leaders."
The full poll is available here.
Torey Van Oot and the Bee Capitol Bureau report on the people and politics of California government. Get 
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