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Americans love to hate California: poll
A couple looks out at the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California August 23, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Robert Galbraith
(Reuters) - California, home of Hollywood, the Golden Gate Bridge and more people than any other state in the union, is also the most disliked of the 50 states, a new poll shows.
Republicans harbored an intense dislike, according to the Public Policy Polling survey, which showed the liking and disliking of states was a partisan issue that also had a gender divide.
The poll asked Americans in all 50 states about their impression of each state. California finished dead last, with only 27 percent of Americans saying they viewed the Golden State favorably and 42 percent saying they had an unfavorable opinion of the state.
Hawaii was the favorite state, with 54 percent of Americans saying they had a favorable view, and only 10 percent viewing Hawaii negatively.
Republicans said Texas and Alaska were their favorite states, while Democrats liked Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington.
Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling said Republicans "absolutely despise" California, with only 12 percent of Republicans saying they had a favorable opinion of California, while 68 percent had unfavorable feelings.
Republicans also disliked Illinois, which Barack Obama represented in the Senate before being elected President, and Massachusetts, home of the Kennedys.
Texas was favored by Republicans by 82 points over Democrats.
Women were more likely than men to love New York. Men were more likely than women to favor North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.
Generally, Americans had favorable views of almost all the states. Only California, Mississippi, Illinois, New Jersey and Utah had net negative favorability ratings.
In addition to Hawaii, Americans loved Colorado, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Virginia, which also had wide favorability margins. Americans were 50-50 when it comes to liking Louisiana.
(Reporting By Jim Forsyth; Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Daniel Trotta)
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Poll just shows the ignorance of most people IMO.
I read once that if we did not have the homing pigeon instinct we would all go to live in Southern California. I like Californians, just not their politicians or leftist ideas.
Texas is an American institution.
If California came in last it is because people do not like their power and influence and maybe envy their lifestyle and trend setting? I do not like the very liberal 9th district court. Mississippi disliked because of their poverty? What a stupid poll!
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