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About the Survey This fifteenth report of the Orange County Annual Survey,
UCI, examines several topics of recent relevance in Orange County and
analyzes social, economic and political trends over time. This year,
we measure the extent to which Orange County has recovered from the
economic recession and the county government's bankruptcy. We do this
by analyzing trends in attitudes toward the economy, quality of life,
local government, consumer confidence and personal finance. A special
focus this year is to better unders tand attitudes about charity and
charitable giving. Finally, we continue to track trends over time in
the county's most important problems, transportation, housing and the
political climate. Here are the questions we seek to answer in the 1996 survey:
In analyzing the 1996 survey, we compare this year's results to previous surveys, and consider differences between demographic subgroups. Whenever possible, we also contrast Orange County attitudes with those found in state and national surveys.
The Orange County Annual Survey, UCI, was co-directed by Mark Baldassare, professor and chair of urban and regional planning, and Cheryl Katz, research associate. The random telephone survey included interviews with 1,000 Orange County adult residents co nducted August 30 to September 8, 1996. We follow the methods used in the 14 previous surveys. Interviewing was conducted on weekend days and weekday nights, using a computer-generated random sample of telephone numbers. Within a household, adult respondents were randomly chosen for interview. Each interview included 96 questions and took an avera ge of 20 minutes to complete. The interviewing was conducted in English and Spanish, as needed. The completion rate for the survey was 68 percent. This rate is consistent with earlier Orange County Annual Surveys. The field work was conducted by Interview ing Services of America in Van Nuys, CA. The survey sample was compared to the U.S. Census and state figures by city for Orange County and was found to represent the actual regional distribution of Orange County residents. The sample's demographic characteristics were also closely comparable to the Census and other survey data, including the previous Orange County Annual Surveys. The sampling error for this survey is +/- 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. This means that 95 times out of 100, the results will be within 3 percentage points of what they would be if all adults in Orange County were interviewed. The samplin g error for any subgroup would be larger. Sampling error is just one type of error to which surveys are subject. Results may also be affected by question wording, ordering, and survey timing.
The 1996 Orange County Annual Survey, UCI is the fifteenth report in the series. This year, the report examines the return of optimism in Orange County. In doing so, we examine trends in attitudes towards the economy, quality of life, local government, co nsumer confidence and personal finances. We also have a special focus on charitable attitudes and giving. We continue to track issues such as the county's most important problems, transportation, housing and the political climate. Many people were involved in this on-going project. Cheryl Katz co-authored the final report and was centrally involved with me in the research design, statistical analysis and writing. My graduate class in survey research methods conducted mail surveys o f community leaders and focus groups with Orange County residents to test topics and questions for the survey in Spring, 1996. The survey data were collected through telephone interviews by Interviewing Services of America of Van Nuys, CA. The Steering Committee ranked the topics for study this year as part of the mail survey of community leaders. Members of the Advisory Committee met with me during the year to review the results of the community leaders survey and focus groups, and to offe r suggestions for survey issues. I greatly appreciate their time and efforts. The names and affiliations of the committee members are listed in the appendices. This survey is funded by contributions from local corporations, public agencies and private foundations. I thank those listed on the following page, whose generous support made the 1996 Orange County Annual Survey possible. Mark Baldassare, Ph.D.
Avco Financial Services
Co-directors School of Social Ecology University Advancement
Thomas Acker, Rockwell International
Cindy Beyl, Los Angeles Times |
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Methods