Poll: Majority of California voters support Occupy movement philosophy
Publisher’s note: Occupy South Lake Tahoe canceled the Dec. 1 event at the Y because of the weather. Organizers will congregate Dec. 8 from noon-4pm at Heavenly Village.
By Kevin Yamamura, Sacramento Bee
Nearly three-fifths of California voters agree with the sentiment driving the Occupy movement, though voters split when asked whether they identify with protesters, according to a Field Poll released Monday.
The statewide survey found that 58 percent agree with the reason behind Occupy demonstrations in cities and on college campuses.
But 49 percent said they don’t identify much with Occupy protesters, compared with 46 percent who said they identify some or a lot.
“The second question is much more of a personal one, as in, ‘Would you go out into the streets if things got bad, if push came to shove?’ ” said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo. “The first question is broader: ‘Where are your heartstrings?’ ”
Nearly nine in 10 “strongly liberal” voters said they agree with the Occupy sentiment, compared to 66 percent of “strongly conservative” voters who said they disagree.
While the Occupy movement tilts left, nearly one-third of Republicans said they agree with the reason behind it, as did 62 percent of nonpartisan voters.