In the fall of 2020, as Elon Musk threatened to take Tesla to Texas, a popular narrative took hold and continues to this day: According to the story, the Golden State has grown tarnished. Masses of Californians are fed up and fleeing the state. That California’s population growth had slowed, causing it to lose a congressional seat for the first time in history, propelled the tale along. But a survey conducted by UC San Diego political scientists in the spring of 2021 contradicts this story.
