UCI

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 15, 1999 — Latinos' optimism about the future in Orange County outstrips even the record-level confidence of the county as a whole, according to UC Irvine's 1999 Orange County Annual Survey. Yet full participation in the county's economic and civic life continues to elude the county's fastest-growing population. Fifty-six percent of Latinos expect Orange County to be a better place to live in the future, compared with 39 percent of the county as a whole and 33 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Latinos also have strong confidence in their economic future-58 percent say they are better off now than last year, and 61 percent expect to be better off next year. In comparison, 55 percent in the county as a whole are better off now than last year, and 51 percent expect to be better off next year.
"Latinos are benefiting from the county's strong economy, and they're clearly making strides in economic and political life. But Latinos lag well behind non-Hispanic whites on several indicators such as voter registration, home ownership, civic involvement and political engagement," said Mark Baldassare, UCI professor of urban and regional planning, who conducted the survey with research associate Cheryl Katz.
While Latinos share the overall satisfaction with the economy and quality of life in Orange County, they are not as satisfied as non-Hispanic whites. The small majority of Latinos-56 percent-saying the county's economy is excellent or good trails far behind the 86 percent of non-Hispanic whites with a positive assessment of the county's economy.
Similarly, only 26 percent of Latinos say things are going "very well" in the county, compared with 42 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
And on issues that continue to trouble many Orange County residents-housing, crime, civic involvement-Latinos feel even less cause for optimism. Only 36 percent own their own homes, compared with 72 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 62 percent in the county as a whole. Crime is cited by 47 percent of Latinos as the county's number one problem-there is no close second-while non-Hispanic whites are evenly divided between crime (21 percent) and schools (20 percent) as the most important problem. Less likely to vote or volunteer than non-Hispanic whites, Latinos are not highly engaged in the county's community and political life.
"Overall, we see very positive attitudes in all groups in the county, but there clearly are big differences in the situations of Latinos and non-Hispanic whites in housing, crime and political involvement," Katz said.
The 18th Orange County Annual Survey of residents' views on housing, education, quality of life and other issues was conducted by phone from Sept. 1 to 13, using a computer-generated random sample of telephone numbers. Interviews of 1,000 randomly selected adult household members were conducted in English and Spanish. The survey included interviews with 223 Latino residents. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent for the total sample. Following are other highlights of the survey's findings for Orange County's Latino residents:

Housing
Orange County Latinos are still reaching for the American dream of home ownership: 64 percent rent, compared with 28 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 38 percent in the county as a whole. Latinos also are more likely to live in apartments-46 percent, compared with 15 percent for non-Hispanic whites and 22 percent overall.
Thirty-nine percent of Latinos pay more than $750 per month in rent, compared with 68 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 57 percent of the county as a whole. Public schools Latino and non-Hispanic white residents both give 54 percent positive ratings to public schools. However, there is greater support among Latinos than among non-Hispanic whites for school vouchers (73 percent to 56 percent) and for increasing taxes if their schools needed it (61 percent to 47 percent).

Government
Orange County Latinos have more trust in the federal government than do non-Hispanic whites, with 41 percent saying you can trust the government always or most of the time to do what is right, compared with 25 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
Latinos also are less likely to think government is run by a few big interests-41 percent, versus 70 percent for non-Hispanic whites. And they are less likely to say government wastes a lot of money-37 percent, versus 60 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
"Latinos, who are much less involved in the political process, feel much more trusting," Baldassare said. "As they become more involved, they may bring a breath of fresh air into the electoral process."

Civic involvement
As among non-Hispanic whites and the county as a whole, Latinos are very involved in taking care of family (77 percent) and earning a living (63 percent). They are less involved in spending time with friends-28 percent, compared with 42 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 37 percent of the county as a whole. And they are considerably less involved in civic life.
Fourteen percent of Latinos say they are highly involved in religious activities, compared with 25 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 23 percent of the county as a whole. Eight percent of Latinos are highly involved in volunteer work, compared with 21 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 18 percent of the county as a whole.
"Latinos are leading very busy lives with work and family, and that's taking away from religious and volunteer activities-which may explain their low levels of civic involvement," Baldassare said. "It will be crucial to figure out how to get Latinos more involved as Orange County moves toward a 'majority minority' region. Perhaps established volunteer and civic groups will need to rethink their outreach efforts toward Latinos."

Political interest
Latinos are similar in political orientation to the county as a whole: 53 percent describe themselves as middle-of-the-road to somewhat conservative, compared with 61 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 58 percent of the county as a whole. Latinos are slightly more likely than non-Hispanic whites to describe themselves as liberal (35 percent to 27 percent) while non-Hispanic whites are more likely than Latinos to say they are moderate (34 percent to 24 percent).
On measures of political involvement, there are considerable differences between Latinos and non-Hispanic whites. Thirty-nine percent of Latinos are registered to vote, compared with 91 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 75 percent of the county as a whole. Only 18 percent of Latinos say they always vote in elections, compared with 59 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 49 percent in the county as a whole. Seventeen percent of Latinos follow public affairs most of the time, compared with 45 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 37 percent of the county as a whole. And only 13 percent of Latinos say they have a great deal of interest in politics, compared with 21 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 18 percent of the county as a whole.
"While Latinos have made tremendous gains in registering voters, there still are huge differences in political interest. Latinos are a young population, and thus it may be only a matter of time before they become involved," Baldassare said.
UCI's Orange County Annual Survey is the most comprehensive study of the political, social and economic attitudes of Orange County residents. Baldassare, the Roger W. and Janice M. Johnson Endowed Chair in Civic Governance and Public Management in UCI's School of Social Ecology, has conducted the survey since 1982.