Last year we released a ground-breaking poll that found a vast gulf between the opinions of Americans in general and an “elite 1%” who had a postgraduate degree, earned more than $150,000 a year, and lived in a high-density area.

For example: Three quarters of elites supported “strict rationing of gas, meat, and electricity” to fight climate change, vs. 28% of everyone else. Two-thirds said teachers and educational professionals, not parents, should decide what children are taught.

We’re pleased to see other polling firms have since borrowed our analysis and published their own findings. The latest is from Politico, with an extensive survey which finds that the quintessential Blue State California has a population that is more moderate than its image or the views of the progressive elites who dominate its politics.

“The results suggest a disconnect between the policymaking class and voters in an overwhelmingly blue state where Trump made broad inroads in 2024 amid widespread frustrations over crime and a prohibitively high cost of living,” Politico concludes. As example: only 45% of voters think the state should set its own strict standards on vehicle emissions, but 82% of policy professionals and elites supported it.

Voters were more likely to support immigrant assimilation, while elites overwhelmingly favor identity politics and sanctuary city laws.

“Golden State voters have no real interest in going to war with Donald Trump. Instead, they seem less enthused than ever about the state’s one-party rule and the fruits it has borne,” Politico concludes.