Table of Content
- 00 | CBI, Delhi Police help FBI in busting multimillion-dollar tech support scam
- 55 | Elon Musk cries foul over flight data that's readily available on the net
- California’s Likely Voters
- Microsoft takes the gloves off as it battles Sony for its Activision acquisition Covid-linked deaths seen in Beijing after coronavirus rules eased
- Congressional Elections
About half or more across demographic groups approve of President Biden, with the exception of those with some college education (44%). When asked how they would vote if the 2022 election for the US House of Representatives were held today, 56 percent of likely voters say they would vote for or lean toward the Democratic candidate, while 39 percent would vote for or lean toward the Republican candidate. In September, a similar share of likely voters preferred the Democratic candidate (60% Democrat/lean Democrat, 34% Republican/lean Republican). Today, overwhelming majorities of partisans support their party’s candidate, while independents are divided (50% Democrat/lean Democrat, 44% Republican/lean Republican). Democratic candidates are preferred by a 26-point margin in Democratic-held districts, while Republican candidates are preferred by a 23-point margin in Republican-held districts.
We present results for non-Hispanic whites, who account for 41 percent of the state’s adult population, and also for Latinos, who account for about a third of the state’s adult population and constitute one of the fastest-growing voter groups. We also present results for non-Hispanic Asian Americans, who make up about 16 percent of the state’s adult population, and non-Hispanic African Americans, who comprise about 6 percent. Results for other racial/ethnic groups—such as Native Americans—are included in the results reported for all adults, registered voters, and likely voters, but sample sizes are not large enough for separate analysis.
00 | CBI, Delhi Police help FBI in busting multimillion-dollar tech support scam
While Americans are becoming numb to routine data breaches, including massive ones like the Equifax failure, we know that more needs to be done to stop this underworld from intercepting even more highly sensitive personal data. Transaction data will be especially useful for these purposes, and help bring an end to the current reliance on the three-digit social credit scores derived from credit reports that are cloaked in secrecy and rife with inaccuracies. If successful, it will also reduce the ability for incumbents to build moats and for middlemen to serve as gatekeepers. It will provide big advantages to those who provide the best products, service quality, and rates.
These districts are 3, 9, 13, 22, 27, 40, 41, 45, 47, and 49; a map of California’s congressional districts can be found here. Cell phone interviews were conducted using a computer-generated random sample of cell phone numbers. Additionally, we utilized a registration-based sample of cell phone numbers for adults who are registered to vote in California. After a cell phone user was reached, the interviewer verified that this person was age 18 or older, a resident of California, and in a safe place to continue the survey (e.g., not driving). Cell phone respondents were offered a small reimbursement to help defray the cost of the call.
55 | Elon Musk cries foul over flight data that's readily available on the net
Microsoft pleaded for its deal on the day of the Phase 2 decision last month, but now the gloves are well and truly off. Large incumbents will find their customers to be less “sticky” and easier to “poach.” They’ll also find it harder to impose junk fees and harvest personal financial data for their exclusive use. A competitive market would also lead to unbundling where companies compete on individual products, rather than relying on captive customers or cross-selling scams. When markets aren’t competitive, we feel that we need to buy additional services from a provider we already worked with. People would feel secure knowing that both the data holder and the data receiver follow secure practices.
One in three or fewer adults (33%) and likely voters (25%) think the country is going in the right direction. Majorities across all demographic groups and partisan groups, as well as across regions, are pessimistic about the direction of the United States. One reason that the current ecosystem is unstable is that many companies currently access consumer data through activities like screen scraping.
California’s Likely Voters
Direct deposits need to be reset, as do scheduled payments linked by ACH or debit card. And consumers need to take these actions, while managing day-to-day liquidity issues. Our rule will facilitate third party companies that offer services to make switching recurring payments easier. Likewise, nascent firms would be able to use data permissioned by consumers to improve upon and customize, to provide greater access, and to develop products and services. Under the current regime, nascent firms often find themselves in the position of needing to curry favor with big market players.
However, such methods are not secure, and they are likely not sustainable, especially as data security standards potentially evolve to a point that such activities may become blocked. This map highlights the five geographic regions for which we present results; these regions account for approximately 90 percent of the state population. Fewer than half of likely voters say the outcome of each of these state propositions is very important to them.
For Americans to be confident that they have the consumer financial product that is right for them and their specific needs, they should be able to share their data readily, but safely. Rachel Lawler is a survey analyst at the Public Policy Institute of California, where she works with the statewide survey team. Prior to joining PPIC, she was a client manager in Kantar Millward Brown’s Dublin, Ireland office. In that role, she led and contributed to a variety of quantitative and qualitative studies for both government and corporate clients.
At least half across demographic groups are highly enthusiastic, with the exceptions of likely voters earning $40,000 to $79,999 annually (48%), women (47%), Latinos (43%), those with a high school diploma or less (42%), renters (42%), and 18- to 44-year-olds (37%). Californians are much more pessimistic about the direction of the country than they are about the direction of the state. Solid majorities of adults (62%) and likely voters (71%) say the United States is going in the wrong direction, and majorities have held this view since September 2021.
As Californians prepare to vote in the upcoming midterm election, fewer than half of adults and likely voters are satisfied with the way democracy is working in the United States—and few are very satisfied. Satisfaction was higher in our February survey when 53 percent of adults and 48 percent of likely voters were satisfied with democracy in America. Today, half of Democrats and about four in ten independents are satisfied, compared to about one in five Republicans. Across regions, half of residents in the San Francisco Bay Area (52%) and the Inland Empire (50%) are satisfied, compared to fewer elsewhere. Across demographic groups, fewer than half are satisfied, with the exception of Latinos (56%), those with a high school degree or less (55%), and those making less than $40,000 (53%).
In September 2020, just before the 2020 general election, Californians were also divided (47% optimistic, 49% pessimistic). Financial services are an essential part of our economic plumbing, and we will be working to let the market expand and develop new ways to help Americans live their lives to the fullest. In closing, it is important to remind ourselves about why the United States has historically been a bastion of discovery and progress. We are at our best when our laws and rules facilitate seamless switching, reduce barriers to entry, eliminate conflicts of interest, and prevent infrastructure providers from denying access to critical networks. First, we expect to propose requiring financial institutions offering deposit accounts, credit cards, digital wallets, prepaid cards, and other transaction accounts to set up secure methods, like APIs, for data sharing.
Covid-linked deaths seen in Beijing after coronavirus rules easedSpecifically, we expect that the public will gain more bargaining leverage once data holding companies must share authorized consumer data with authorized third parties. And, this will lead to more shopping by consumers both because they have the leverage to walk away and because they will have access to more tailored products and services. The provisions provide for personal financial data rights for Americans, but would only have teeth after the CFPB defined the specifics through rules. With all 80 state assembly positions and half of state senate seats up for election, fewer than half of adults (49%) and likely voters (43%) approve of the way that the California Legislature is handling its job. Views are deeply divided along partisan lines; approval is highest in the San Francisco Bay Area and lowest in Orange/San Diego. About half across racial/ethnic groups approve, and approval is much higher among younger Californians.
In the ten competitive California districts as defined by the Cook Political Report, the Democratic candidate is preferred by a 22-point margin (54% to 32%). Six in ten likely voters say they are following news about the 2022 governor’s race very (25%) or fairly (35%) closely—a share that has risen from half just a month ago (17% very, 33% fairly). This finding is somewhat similar to October 2018, when 68 percent said this (28% very, 40% closely) a month before the previous gubernatorial election. Today, majorities across partisan, demographic, and regional groups say they are following news about the gubernatorial election either very or fairly closely.
Cell phone interviews were conducted with adults who have cell phone service only and with those who have both cell phone and landline service in the household. When asked about the importance of abortion rights, 61 percent of likely voters say the issue is very important in determining their vote for Congress and another 20 percent say it is somewhat important; just 17 percent say it is not too or not at all important. Among partisans, an overwhelming majority of Democrats (78%) and 55 percent of independents say it is very important, compared to 43 percent of Republicans. Majorities across regions and all demographic groups—with the exception of men (49% very important)—say abortion rights are very important when making their choice among candidates for Congress.
