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OVERALL MOOD Residents are overwhelmingly positive
about the current state of the Orange County economy and the quality
of life. As for the county's future, optimists continue to outnumber
pessimists. Three in four (76%) rate the Orange County economy today
as being in excellent or good shape. One in five says it is in fair
condition, while only 3% say the local economy is doing poorly. The
positive ratings have improved 13 points over last year's survey. The
belief that the Orange County economy is in excellent or good shape
has risen by 32 points in two years and 57 points in three years. In
1992, only 19% rated the county economy in positive terms. These bullish assessments vary across
demographic groups. Residents in households earning $80,000 or more
a year (92%) are much more likely to give excellent or good ratings
than are those earning less than $36,000 (60%). Non-Hispanic whites
(83%) are more likely than Latinos (56%) and Asians (73%) to give excellent
or good ratings. Still, a majority in all age, income, regional and
racial and ethnic groups say the economy is currently in excellent or
good shape. However, many residents fear that the current economic boom
is in jeopardy. Sixty-one percent think the Asian financial crisis will
hurt the Orange County economy in the next year or so. At this point,
most think the Asian meltdown will be only somewhat harmful (46%) while
few see it as having a great deal of impact (15%). Asians (23%), however,
are much more likely than non-Hispanic whites (15%) and Latinos (12%)
to say that the Asian financial crisis will have a big impact on the
county's economy. Ratings of quality of life in Orange County also are
very positive. Ninety-one percent believe things are going well in Orange
County today, including 34% reporting very well and 57% saying somewhat
well. Only 9% think things are going badly. Compared with a year ago, there has
been a three-point increase in the number giving quality of life in
the county a favorable assessment. The positive scores today are 31
points higher than those given in 1992 and 1993 (60% each). Quality-of-life
ratings are similarly high across all ages, ethnic and racial groups,
and county regions. Those earning $80,000 or more (95%) are more likely
to say that quality of life is going well than are those earning less
than $36,000 (85%). Still, an overwhelming majority in all income groups
believe that things are going well in Orange County. As for the future,
36% expect Orange County to be a better place to live, while 25% think
it will be a worse place and 39% expect it to be about the same as it
is today. Optimists outnumber pessimists by an 11-point margin. Opinions about the future are similar to last year. There are no major differences by age, region or income in optimism about Orange County's future. The gap between optimism and pessimism is larger among Latinos (45% vs. 21%) and Asians (45% vs. 15%) than among non-Hispanic whites (32% vs. 26%). |
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