While the popular narrative around California is that it's filled with left-leaning residents, a new survey is challenging that idea with half of all Californians saying they support for President Trump's Muslim travel ban, and want more deportations of illegal immigrants.
The survey, released on Wednesday by UC Berkeley's Haas for a Fair and Inclusive Society, found that while residents of the Golden State value diversity and inclusion on all fronts, their viewpoints on race, culture and politics are at odds with those values at times.
According to the survey, twenty-four percent of people who answered the survey say it's "very important" for the U.S. while another 35 percent say it's "somewhat important." Even in the super blue centers of the state, those views held, like in the Bay Area where 25 percent of those surveyed said increasing deportations was very important.
The poll also revealed that Californians have views that may seem contradictory, including the fact that nearly half those surveyed support a so-called “Muslim ban”. Punishing immigrants is still popular: 59% said increasing deportations is important.
At least 49 percent of all Californians support the so-called "Muslim ban" that would temporarily bar people from several Muslim-majority countries. Several versions of Trump's travel ban have been struck down in court, with the Supreme Court ready to rule on the administration's third attempt in June.
About half of all respondents to the survey also agreed with an individualistic boot-straps narrative about African Americans, saying that Black people needed to "try harder."
This broad support for progressive views, alongside some fairly widespread views rooted in more exclusionary and punitive values, point to the powerful role of social movements and public leadership in activating Californian’s more inclusive views.
The group says they plan on releasing a series of studies on Californian's viewpoints over the next few months.
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