Nearly half of young Californians believe the state is headed in the wrong direction as rising costs continue to strain their finances, according to a new poll.
The 2026 Power California Youth Poll found that the cost of living and inflation are the top issues young residents want elected officials to address, followed by housing affordability and homelessness.
The survey found economic concerns cutting across nearly every aspect of young Californians' lives, from housing and employment to political participation. According to Saa'un Bell, executive vice president of Power California, the findings point to a generation looking for solutions to the state's affordability challenges.
“If you want young voters to really be engaged and come out, you have
to address the cost-of-living crisis, and not just say that you're going to address it, but actually, concretely, tangibly address the crisis,” Bell said in a phone interview.
The poll, conducted by Power California and Latino Decisions, surveyed 1,567 Californians ages 18 to 30 between June 8 and June 29 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Here's what to know about the survey and what it could signal ahead of the 2026 midterm election.
Cost of living has pushed ‘young voters to the brink’
Cost of living dominates young Californians' concerns, the poll found.
When asked what issues elected officials should address, young residents identified the cost of living, inflation and the economy (23.8%), housing affordability (15.9%) and homelessness (13.8%) as their top concerns.
"All of these things are economic issues. ... These are things that young voters, and it's not even just young voters, right? Californians want and need to be addressed,” Bell said.
The poll also found that 80% of young Californians believe the cost of living is rising faster than their wages. Additionally, 71% said they have experienced at least one cost-related hardship, such as taking a second job, postponing care or considering leaving the state.
“Black and Latino young voters are definitely hit harder for a variety of reasons,” Bell said. “Black Californians are more likely than any other group to take on a second job postpone bills, and struggle with getting by day to day.”
One in three Black Californians reported taking a second job, while one in five said they had defaulted on student loans or slept in a car or shelter, the poll found.
Economic issues have overtaken social issues such as police brutality and protecting immigrants, which ranked among the top concerns for young California voters in 2020, according to the poll.
That’s not to say young Californians no longer care about those issues, Bell said. Instead, it suggests the economy has become “incredibly urgent.”
“Our moral consciousness has not gone away,” Bell said. “These are the social issues young voters still very much care about. It is just that the cost-of-living crisis — whether that's rent, groceries and gas — has increasingly gotten to a place that has really pushed a lot of young voters to the brink.”
Poll finds youth are politically active, despite low voter participation
Among the top reasons young Californians cited for low youth voter participation were the belief that nothing changes (40%), distrust of politicians (40%) and being too busy trying to survive (38%).
“My interpretation is that it's really about whether or not they see voting as being impactful,” Bell said. “What we are actually seeing is that young voters are volunteering. They're getting involved in their communities at a significantly higher rate than they are actually participating in voting, which I think says a lot about where they feel like things are in their control to make a difference, to make a change.”
While young Californians may be reluctant to vote in elections, that doesn't mean they are disengaged from civic or political issues, Bell said.
More than half of respondents described themselves as politically engaged, and nearly 80% said they had discussed politicians with friends or family. Additionally, more than half of young Californians said they had volunteered in their community; 49% said they had posted political content or opinions on social media; and 31% said they had attended a march, protest or rally.
Political engagement was especially strong in the Central Valley, where young adults are leading political engagement among young people across California. One in three young adults in the region said they engage in local politics, community organizations, protests or community events.
At the same time, young people in the Central Valley reported some of the state's highest levels of economic strain, with 84% experiencing at least one cost-related hardship.
Bell said the region's growing population of young adults may help explain why political engagement is so high.
“As coastal urban communities become more expensive, you have a lot of young people who are moving to Central California to start their lives, buy homes, start their families,” Bell said. “It's not surprising to me that young people in the Central Valley are much more politically engaged because so many things are changing about the Central Valley at this moment.”
The influx of younger residents has put the region under significant pressure, Bell said.
“(Young people) need a more affordable place to live, and it's causing a lot of pressure on the generations of families that have lived there,” Bell said.
How to engage young Californians
The survey also found a mix of frustration and optimism about California's future. Though 50% of young Californians believe the state is being built for someone else, 57% believe they will have a better future than their parents.
“Despite the immense economic pressures and navigating this cost-of-living crisis, young people are still fairly optimistic about the state of California,” Bell said.
Bell said that if elected leaders make good on their campaign promises, young people will support an agenda that addresses "not just their needs, but the needs of most Californians."
“Which is: How do we make California an affordable place and provide opportunities for all Californians to be able to stay here and live long, healthy lives?” Bell said.
When asked to think ahead to the 2026 midterm election in November, one in three young people said the top issue that would motivate them to vote is inflation/cost of living.
“If folks want young people to come out, they have to really address things that are directly impacting them right now, which is this cost-of-living crisis,” Bell said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cost of living tops concerns for young Californians, poll finds
