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Quality of Life
Orange County does not appear to be losing its luster as a result of
urbanization. In ratings of happiness with their personal circumstances
and satisfaction with their region, Orange County residents are much
more upbeat than are Los Angeles County residents. Trends over time
in Orange County also are favorable. More than half of Orange County
residents say they are very satisfied with their house, job and leisure-time
pursuits, while a quarter are very satisfied with their current financial
situation. In each of these quality-of-life ratings, Orange County has
more than a 10-point edge over Los Angeles County. And when asked to
assess their overall happiness, people in Orange County are considerably
more likely than those in Los Angeles County to say they are very happy
(36% vs. 26%).
Graph: Personal Satistfaction
(Percent very satisfied)
Non-Hispanic whites in Orange County are more likely
than Latinos and Asians to express a great deal of satisfaction with
their housing (64% vs. 47% vs. 50%), jobs (60% vs. 49% vs. 37%), leisure
(59% vs. 48% vs. 43%) and finances (30% vs. 25% vs. 23%). Non-Hispanic
whites are also somewhat more likely to say they are very happy with
their lives (38% vs. 30% vs. 34%). One in three Orange County residents
is very satisfied with job opportunities in this region, compared with
one in five in Los Angeles County. However, residents in the two areas
give similarly low ratings to the availability of housing they can afford
and the overall cost of living in the region.
Graph: Satisfaction with Region
(Percent very satisfied)
Non-Hispanic whites in Orange County are more likely
than Latinos and Asians to say they are very satisfied with their region's
job opportunities (38% vs. 20% vs. 29%). However, evaluations of housing
availability and local cost of living are similar among the three groups.
A quarter of Orange County residents say their region has big problems
with traffic and growth, while only one in five says that air, water
and environmental problems are big concerns. Los Angeles County residents
are much more likely than Orange County residents to say they have major
problems with traffic congestion and pollution of all kinds. Both regions
are equally likely to say that growth and development is a major concern.
Graph: Perceptions of Regional
Problems
(Percent saying this is a big problem)
Non-Hispanic whites in Orange County are a little more likely than Latinos
and Asians to say that traffic (28% vs. 20% vs. 22%) and growth (28%
vs. 21% vs. 21%) are big problems, but there are no differences in concerns
about air, water and environmental pollution. We explored the possibility
that the differences between the two counties reflect the fact that
Los Angeles County has a smaller proportion of non-Hispanic whites and
that Orange County has a larger percentage of affluent residents. We
find that Orange County still outscores Los Angeles County when comparing
non-Hispanic whites and those earning less than $80,000 a year in each
county. There also is little evidence that Orange County's quality of
life is in decline over time. Comparing the 1991 and 1998 surveys, the
numbers who are very satisfied with their housing (56% vs. 58%), work
(39% vs. 55%), finances (20% vs. 28%) and happiness (27% vs. 36%) are
either unchanged or improved. Looking back to 1982, we see declines
in evaluations of housing (67% to 58%) and leisure (68% to 54%), but
not in work (47% vs. 55%), finances (31% vs. 28%) or overall happiness
(34% vs. 36%).
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