(KGTV) - California residents are feeling the crunch of rising home costs, so much so that many have considered moving out of the state, according to a poll from UC Berkeley.
A new study from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies revealed about 48 percent of California voters described housing affordability as an "extremely serious" problem in their area, with 36 percent saying it's "somewhat serious."
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Perhaps more alarming, the issue has caused about 56 percent of voters to consider moving from their area, a quarter of those respondents saying they would likely leave the state. Just under a quarter said they would likely move to another part of the state or in the same general area.
Among the areas voters felt hardest hit were San Diego and the San Francisco's bay area, according to the poll.
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"This view is most prevalent in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, where 65 percent describe housing costs as an extremely serious problem, and in the South Coast counties of Orange and San Diego, where 55 percent say this," the poll stated.
Majorities of voters in all parts of the state said they have considered moving because of high housing costs.
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Across the state, voters felt there is a need for local rent ordinances as well. About 60 percent of voters said they support local governments having the ability to set rent limits as a way to help low- and middle-income people.
The poll surveyed 1,200 registered voters in California between Aug. 27 and Sept. 5.
