Phil Matier: Poll Shows Californians Split Over Occupy Movement
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP)— A new survey finds Californians evenly split over the Occupy Wall Street protest movement, though a decisive majority said they agree with the reason for the protests.
The Field Poll results released Tuesday find 46 percent of the state's residents identify with the movement and 49 percent don't.
The lines are drawn not so much by age or gender, but by political affiliation: nearly two-thirds of Democrats identify with Occupy, while fewer than one-quarter of Republicans do.
KCBS, CBS 5 and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier reports:
KCBS, CBS 5 and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier said in his opinion, Occupy Wall Street would be more popular with Democrats and that half the state of California votes that way.
"What we have here is a pretty interesting situation where there's a pretty big feeling in support that the country is screwed up, but honestly, I think six months ago we could've gotten a poll with that same answer," Matier said.
KCBS anchor Stan Bunger expressed his opinion that while the Tea Party movement seems to be directed towards politicians, the Occupy protesters don't seem clearly focused on just politicians.
Protests, marches, camping on public property and clashes with police have defined activity this fall after New York's Occupy Wall Street incited several West Coast branches of the movement.
Matier recalled that on a local level, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was booed out of Frank Ogawa Plaza after the initial raid of Occupy Oakland when she attempted to address the public.
Meanwhile, he said the San Francisco faction seems preoccupied with the cleanliness of the encampment and that city officials meet with that group daily.
Another point he made was that there's no primary going on with the Democrats and that if things were more open, we'd probably see a Democratic contender on a national-level tapping into the anti-Wall Street movement.
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