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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
When asked about current conditions in Orange County, eight in 10 residents (79%) rate the local economy as excellent or good, and 91% give a positive rating to the quality of life in the county. Seventy-five percent of homeowners and 57% of renters believe that buying a home in Orange County is an excellent or good investment. While most residents are satisfied with the job opportunities in their region (91%), many are not satisfied with the availability of housing they can afford (34%), and most cite traffic congestion as a problem (81%). The Orange County Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 112, the highest score since we began tracking this five-question measure in 1986, and surpassing the U.S. index, which is at 109. As for the future, residents are evenly divided between thinking that the county will be a better place (31%), a worse place (32%), or the same (31%) in 2020. While most expect improvements in the county's economic conditions (61%), race relations (61%) and public schools (58%) in 20 years, many also anticipate a growing gap between the rich and the poor (64%), a deterioration in the natural environment (57%) and an increase in the crime rate (49%) by 2020. Orange County residents are fully engaged in the "New Economy," with 62% frequently using a computer, 54% often logging on to the Internet, and 64% owning a home computer. However, there is a "digital divide," with much lower computer use among Latinos, less-educated, and lower-income residents. About half of Orange County residents get news (49%) and health information (48%) on line, while 39% use the Internet for shopping and 33% look for employment listings on the Web. Internet use for seeking information and making purchases is considerably lower among Latinos and the less affluent.
Crime is named as the county's most important problem by 24% of residents, followed by schools (17%), the El Toro Airport controversy (15%), transportation (11%), housing (6%), and growth (5%). Since last year, mention of the El Toro Airport issue has increased in both the North and South County. As for education, while more than half give their local schools excellent or good grades (54%), six in 10 favor tax-supported school vouchers. And while 58% say their local schools do not have enough state funding, less than half (48%) would favor lowering the barrier to pass school construction bonds from a two-thirds vote to a 55% majority, or would vote for a tax increase for their local schools (47%). On transportation issues, only 22% of residents say the current freeway system is satisfactory, and 18% of workers say they experience major traffic problems during their commute. Sixty-eight percent of residents are satisfied with the way Measure M funds are being spent, and 57% would vote to extend the half-cent sales tax for another 20 years. Housing costs are increasing, with half of homeowners and three in 10 renters now paying more than $1,000 a month. Housing costs are much higher in the South County than in the North. Latinos are far less likely than non-Hispanic whites to be homeowners or live in single-family dwellings. Public support for the plans to convert the El Toro Marine base into an international airport has declined: 35% now favor this proposal, while 54% are opposed. Fewer than half believe the proposed airport will be built. Nearly half (49%) disapprove of the job the county government has done in handling this issue. Ratings of local government have declined since last year: 29% now say county government does an excellent or good job in solving problems; 54% think county government leaders pay a lot or some attention to what the people think; and 42% believe the county wastes a lot of taxpayers' money.
To place the importance of politics in perspective, fewer than one in five Orange County residents (18%) have a "great deal" of interest in politics, half have a fair amount of interest, and one in three express little or no interest. Orange County's political profile is more complex than its stereotype as a conservative region. One in four residents describe their politics as liberal, a third say they are middle-of-the-road, and four in 10 call themselves conservative. Most non-Hispanic whites and Latinos describe themselves as conservative, although Latinos express less interest in politics than do non-Hispanic whites. Despite the county's conservative leanings, many Orange County residents hold liberal views on social issues: two in three think the government should not interfere with a woman's access to abortion, and 62% say that gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military. Many Latinos want to further restrict access to abortion, but most support having gays and lesbians serve openly in the military. Orange County residents are pro-regulation when it comes to guns and the environment: most say the government does not do enough to regulate access to guns (63%), and that stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost (64%). Latinos are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to favor tougher gun controls, while both groups hold similar views on stricter environmental regulations. The majority of Orange County residents feel that immigrants are a benefit because of their hard work (54%), though Democrats (61%) and Latinos (78%) express this perception more often than Republicans (49%) and non-Hispanic whites (52%). Nearly half (47%) of Orange County residents believe that the practice of "racial profiling" by the police is widespread in the region though, again, Democrats (62%) and Latinos (59%) hold this view more than do Republicans (31%) and non-Hispanic whites (42%). As for how to use the federal budget surplus, residents are almost evenly divided between wanting to cut taxes and to pay for social programs (48% to 44%). Most Republicans (69%) and non-Hispanic whites (53%) want tax cuts, while most Latinos (62%) and Democrats (61%) want the federal budget surplus to be used to pay for social programs. |
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Economic and Social Trends