Despite popular belief, California residents are not fleeing the state in droves, new survey finds

• Some have pushed the idea that residents of California are leaving the state in high numbers.
• But a new study by the University of California found the “Cal exodus” to be a myth.
• The researchers said some residents are leaving the state, but not in unusual numbers.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Residents of California are not moving out of the state in abnormal numbers, contrary to popular belief, according to a new survey by the University of California published this week.

Much has been written about people making the move from California to other places in the US, like Idaho or Florida and Texas. The UC researchers said the new survey is part of a larger research project that began last fall to examine whether or not there actually is a “Cal exodus.”

But the researchers found that while some Californians are leaving the state, it is not happening at unusual rates. They also said there was no evidence of “millionaire flight” and that the state attracts “as much venture capital as all other states combined.”

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“Despite the popular notion of unhappy Californians leaving the state en masse, our robust research shows there is actually no exodus,” said Thad Kousser, chair of the political science department at UC San Diego and lead researcher of the most recent survey.

The project analyzed survey data and found the number of residents who said they were considering leaving the state remained static over the past two years. Researchers also found no increase in Google searches for terms like “moving company” or “U-Haul” in the state.

“The empirical data will be, at once, disappointing to those who want to write California’s obituary, as well as a call to action for policymakers to address the challenges that have caused some to lose faith in the California Dream,” UC Regent John A. Pérez said in a press release about the study.

The survey of 3,000 residents also found 21% of Democrat respondents were seriously considering moving while 30% of Republicans were. However, it also found that the number of residents who say California is one of the best places to live decreased from 50% in a 2019 poll to 42%.

Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com.