Californians’ Interest in Politics Is Declining, Poll Finds

While special-interest groups are more interested in state government than ever, a new poll shows Californians are paying even less attention to politics than they did in the 1980s. Only 40% of adults say they keep track of government and public affairs “most of the time,” compared with 50% in 1983, the last time the Field Institute did a survey on the topic.

The findings come at a time when California’s major special-interest groups are spending more than ever to try to influence state lawmakers. The top 100 lobbying groups spent a record $293 million during the 1997-98 legislative period, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Kim Alexander, president of the nonprofit California Voter Foundation, sees a direct relationship between the increasing lobbying expenditures and the decline in public interest. “People have been told they are powerless for so long, they believe it,” said Alexander.

Only 31% of citizens surveyed said politicians generally have good intentions, down from 40% 16 years ago.

President Clinton’s sex scandal is partially to blame for the public’s plummeting interest and heightened cynicism, said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo. But “so much is happening in the larger society to fragment people’s attention,” he said.

Another analyst said the widespread downward trend is a result of middle-of-the-road politics practiced by President Clinton and Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. “They are perfect symbols for contemporary politics,” said Gregory Rodriguez, a research fellow at Pepperdine University’s Institute for Public Policy. “It’s not clear from which principles they’re governing. What does a voter have to grab onto to believe in? What’s there to inspire people to be involved?”