A new study completed by The Field Poll asked California voters a series of questions
about Prop. 13 and various proposals that have been made to amend some of its
main provisions. The survey's main findings include the following:

When California voters are asked how familiar they are with the landmark 1978 property
tax reduction initiative, Proposition 13, they divide into three camps. About one-third
(37%) report being very familiar with it, another third (30%) say they are somewhat
familiar, while the remaining third (33%) report being not too or not at all familiar with it.
Nearly three times as many homeowners (46%) as renters (16%) are very familiar with
Prop. 13. When a homeowner bought their current home is also a big factor, with long-time
homeowners more likely to report high familiarity than those who purchased their homes
more recently.

Three decades since its adoption, Prop. 13 remains very popular with voters. Statewide
more than twice as many voters (57%) report that they would vote in favor of Prop. 13 if
it were up for a vote again today as would vote against it (23%).

Support for Prop. 13 is much greater among homeowners (64%) than renters (41%),
particularly long-time homeowners. Support reaches 79% among homeowners who bought
their present home prior to the passage of Prop. 13.

When voters are asked their opinion about various proposals that have been made
to change Prop. 13, most are rejected by wide margins.

For example a proposal to gradually raise the property taxes of long-time property
owners, so the amount they pay is more in line with the amount paid by recent buyers
of similarly valued property, is opposed two and one-half to one (66% to 27%).
A proposal to amend Prop. 13’s provision that local governments cannot increase
property taxes by more than 2% per year is rejected by an even wider 78% to 17%
margin.
 
There appears to be strong resistance to the idea of changing the Prop. 13 provision
requiring a two-thirds vote of the state legislature to increase taxes, with about
seven in ten opposed.

In addition there were a variety of voter reactions to the idea of creating a split
roll property tax system, whereby residential and commercial properties would be taxed
at different rates, depend on how the issue is framed. Voters are divided if this means
ncreasing the property taxes of business and commercial property (47% approve and 44%
disapprove). On the other hand, the survey results show that voters would approve 61%
to 28% if this means lowering the property tax rates of residential property owners.
Six in ten survey respondents (voters) (61%) now describe state and local taxes as
being much too high or somewhat high and 37% saying they are about right. These findings
are near the thirty-year average result obtained across fifteen separate Field Poll
measures on this subject since 1977, and are quite similar to the four most recent
surveys conducted between 2001 and 2007.When asked to specify which state and local
taxes they feel are too high, survey respondents voters most often mention the gasoline
tax (32%), the property tax (29%), the state income tax (27%) and the sales tax (22%).
No other single tax is cited more than 9%.