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Most important Issue
Overall, Orange County residents are most likely to name growth and
development (21%) as the most important problem facing Orange County
today, followed by the El Toro airport controversy (14%), housing issues
(13%), and traffic issues (12%). Nearly half name three growth-related
issues -traffic, housing, and growth and development as their top concerns.
Other topics such as schools, crime, the economy, pollution, and immigration
are each noted by less than 10 percent of residents. These figures mark
a distinct shift in concerns from a year ago, when Orange County residents
were most likely to mention crime (24%) and schools (17%) as their top
issues.
There are, however, regional and ethnic differences in concern. In the
South County, the El Toro Airport controversy is the top issue this
year, as it was in the 2000 Orange County Annual Survey. Non-Hispanic
whites are more inclined than others to mention growth and the El Toro
Airport controversy, while Latinos are more likely than others to mention
crime and education, and Asians are more likely than others to name
housing as their top county issue.
Interestingly, only 1 percent of Orange County residents name the state's
electricity problems as the biggest issue facing the county. In the
PPIC Statewide Survey in July 2001, 56 percent of California residents
named the electricity problem as the top issue in the state.
Table: "What do you think
is the most
important issue facing Orange County today?"
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