UCI

2001 PPIC Statewide Survey: September 2001
Special Survey of Orange County
Public Policy Institute of California
in collaboration with the
University of California, Irvine

Executive Summary
Press Release
Press Release on El Toro
Survey Methodology

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Local Perceptions
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County Regional Problems
Causes of County Regional Problems
Preparing for Regional Growth

Orange County Issues
Most Important Issue
The County's Population Growth
The Consequences
El Toro Airport
Traffic and Transportation
County Government

Economic and Political Trends
Consumer Confidence
Overall Mood
Real Estate Market
Governor's Approval Ratings
President's Approval Ratings
Computers and the Internet

Appendices
2001 Survey
Survey Advisory Commitee

University of California, Irvine
© 2001 UC Regents

County Government

Ratings of county government performance in solving problems have improved significantly from a year ago. However, ratings of the responsiveness and fiscal performance are unchanged.

Forty-three percent of residents think the county government does an excellent or good job in solving problems in Orange County, compared with 29 percent a year ago. The current ratings are similar to perceptions in 1998 and 1999 and considerably higher than in the years immediately following the 1994 county-government bankruptcy.

Nevertheless, only about one in 10 residents believe that county officials pay a lot of attention to what the people think when making policy decisions. About half think they pay some attention, and four in 10 think they pay very little or no attention to what the people think. This perception of county officials' responsiveness has not changed over time.

About four in 10 residents believe that the people who run county government waste a lot of the money paid in taxes. This perception has declined slightly from a year ago, but it has changed very little since we began asking this question in the 1996 Orange County Annual Survey.

Table: County Government