California Voters Support State Intervention to Protect Their Data From Out-of-State Actors and a Looming Trump Administration
By Brian Burton and Tenneth Fairclough II
In the wake of last month’s general election, state governments across the nation are beginning to prepare themselves for Donald Trump’s second term, including by taking action to safeguard against Trump’s support for aggressive digital surveillance. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has called for legislative action aimed at “safeguarding California values” that will be threatened by the incoming administration, kicking off that work Monday with a special session. Recent polling from Data for Progress shows that not only do California voters support anti-surveillance measures, but they also want state lawmakers to be more proactive in protecting Californians and marginalized groups from a Trump administration that will wield federal authority over this issue.
First, the survey asked voters about their level of concern around federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies engaging in digital surveillance of citizens. The survey finds that 2 in 3 likely California voters report being either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” by this prospect. Furthermore, this concern is shared by voters across the political spectrum, with 68% of Democrats, 59% of Independents, and 66% of Republicans expressing concern.
The survey then asked respondents whether the California government should be proactive in protecting its most vulnerable residents from such surveillance under the upcoming Trump administration. Fifty percent of voters believe the government should be taking a more active role in protecting these residents than it already is. There is particularly strong support among Democrats and Independents, 70% and 50% of whom, respectively, support California taking additional actions.
The survey also asked voters about their sentiments on the use of personal medical data by law enforcement in out-of-state prosecution, as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to do when prosecuting individuals for seeking out-of-state reproductive care. A strong majority (74%) of voters support California lawmakers taking action to protect their data from being used in this fashion. Such protections receive robust bipartisan support, with 81% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, and 59% of Republicans backing medical data privacy measures.
Finally, when voters are presented with Trump’s stance on using digital surveillance to monitor vulnerable groups – including immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, and individuals seeking reproductive care – in California, they strongly support state lawmakers taking action to limit such surveillance. These protections receive robust support from both Democrats (+58-point net support) and Independents (+40-point net support), while Republicans are more split.
Overall, these survey results show that Gov. Newsom and state legislators hold a strong mandate from California voters to pass policies that will protect Californians’ personal data from out-of-state overreach. They also illustrate that voters want state lawmakers to enact robust limits on digital surveillance that will protect Californians and, more specifically, vulnerable groups from out-of-state actors during the second Trump presidency.
Brian Burton (@Brian_C_Burton) is a lead analyst at Data for Progress.
Tenneth Fairclough II is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From November 19 to 21, 2024, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 624 likely voters in California using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and recalled presidential vote. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error associated with the sample size is ±4 percentage points. Results for subgroups of the sample are subject to increased margins of error. Partisanship reflected in tabulations is based on self-identified party affiliation, not partisan registration. For more information please visit dataforprogress.org/our-methodology.