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We're broke at home and in the government's coffers, and we're either on fire or sliding down our muddy hillsides. Surf's up...and so is immigration. All in all, life in California is...kinda so-so. Only 39 per cent of people say that the great state of California is still pretty great, and rank it "one of the best places to live," reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The figure comes from a joint UC Berkeley and Field Poll that aims to explore the perceived "Quality of Life" in the Golden State.
The poll, which was conducted via a "a telephone survey of 898 registered voters in February," shows that the golden days of the Golden State are over for now. In fact, those surveyed ranked life in Cali "at its lowest mark in almost 20 years." (That apex came in 1985, when, in the midst of the bountiful "me" decade, 78 per cent of Californians surveyed, were--like, ohmigod, okay!--totally enthused about living here.
Experts analyzing the poll results say that our economic downturn plays a large part in determining how we feel about living here. They also cite the myth-reality tension between perception and actuality when it comes to life in the state.
Other feedback from the poll includes whether immigration had an impact on residents' quality of life. 47 per cent said "immigration had no real impact [...] 39 percent said it lowered their quality of life, while 10 percent said immigration made life here better."
