What percentage of Californians…

• Experienced or witnessed a hate incident?
• Said their physical or mental health was harmed by wildfires and wildfire smoke?
• Had difficulties paying for their own or a household member’s medical bills?
• Could not afford enough food?
• Delayed or didn’t get medical care they needed?
• Worried about housing costs and accumulated credit card debt to pay for their rent or mortgage?

What were some of the challenges facing Californians in 2024, who was most affected, and how have health and health care needs changed in recent years? 

These are just some of the topics that will be featured at the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) annual data release on Thursday, October 9, 2025. 

Join us as UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) Director and CHIS Principal Investigator Ninez Ponce, CHIS Director Todd Hughes, and CHIS Senior Data Analyst Alex Bates share key findings from the 2024 survey, including a fact sheet examining Californians’ experiences with hate incidents.

For nearly 25 years, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s California Health Interview Survey has produced credible and comprehensive data on the health and health care needs of California’s large and diverse population, and we remain committed to putting data into the hands of all people through accessible online tools, publications, and trainings. 

The 2024 CHIS data will be available via our free and easy-to-use online health query tool, AskCHIS, which features 608 total variables/topics and more than 24 million different estimates. 

Each year, CHIS interviews more than 20,000 California households — including adults, adolescents, and children — on a wide range of health matters and topics that include health, including: access to and use of health care, health insurance, health status, health conditions (asthma, diabetes, etc.), health behaviors (smoking, alcohol use, diet, etc.), mental health, oral health, food insecurity, child care, caregiving, hate incidents, climate change, COVID-19, public program participation, housing, employment, and much more. Data can be viewed by counties and regions across the state, as well as sociodemographic factors such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, income level, veteran status, language, household type, and more. View the full list on the CHIS Questionnaires and Survey Topics website.

The largest population-based state health survey in the nation, CHIS plays a crucial role in shaping health policies, interventions, and programs by providing comprehensive, up-to-date information on the health of Californians. CHIS gives policymakers, advocates, health departments, health care providers, community organizations, researchers, journalists, and other stakeholders the information they need to assess different aspects of health, identify gaps and needs, and then fight for policies that can improve the lives of Californians through better health and health care.