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Economic Inequality
Recent demographic reports have focused attention on the income trends of the poor and the wealthy in the state today. Nearly
six in 10 Orange County residents believe that California is divided into economic groups – the haves and have-nots.
Thirty-seven percent do not believe this is the case. The percentage of county residents who perceive this division is nearly
identical to the 61 percent of all Californians who reported this perception in the September 2002 Statewide Survey.
Majorities of Orange County residents of all racial/ethnic groups, ages, educational attainment, and levels of income believe
that the state is divided into economic groups. There are no differences in this perception between Latinos and whites, North
and South County residents, and homeowners and renters. However, there are strong partisan and political differences: 66
percent of Democrats compared to 51 percent of Republicans, and 71 percent of liberals compared to 49 percent of
conservatives, believe that the state is divided into economic groups.
"Some people think that California is divided into economic groups – the haves and have-nots – while others think it
is not divided that way. Do you think that California is divided into haves and have-nots,
or do you think that California is not divided that way?"
| |
|
Annual Household Income |
Race / Ethnicity |
|
|
All Adults |
<$40K |
$40,000-
79,999 |
$80K+ |
White |
Latino |
|
Divided into haves and have-nots |
59% |
62% |
62% |
56% |
60% |
58% |
|
Not divided that way |
37 |
34 |
34 |
41 |
38 |
37 |
|
Don’t know |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
When asked if they thought of themselves as in the have or have-not group, two in three Orange County residents considered
themselves to be in the have group, and one in four thought they were among the have-nots. In the September 2002 PPIC
Statewide Survey, 60 percent of Californians described themselves as haves, and 32 percent said they were among the
have-nots.
Responses to this question revealed a wide racial/ethnic gap: 75 percent of whites think of themselves as in the have group,
while 51 percent of Latinos consider themselves to be have-nots. Nearly nine in 10 residents (87%) with annual household
incomes of $80,000 or more rank themselves among the haves, compared to only 38 percent of those with incomes under $40,000.
Homeowners and renters also have sharply different views when it comes to placing themselves in the have group (76% to 46%).
Residents’ perceptions of being have-nots declines with age (36% of those under age 35 versus 15% of those age 55 and older)
and education (47% of those with no college versus 14% of college graduates). South County residents are more likely than
North County residents (73% to 61%) to consider themselves in the have group.
"If you had to choose, which of these groups are you in – the haves or the have-nots?"
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Annual Household Income |
Race / Ethnicity |
|
|
All Adults |
<$40K |
$40,000 -
79,999 |
$80K + |
White |
Latino |
|
Haves |
65% |
38% |
69% |
87% |
75% |
39% |
|
Have-nots |
27 |
54 |
23 |
7 |
17 |
51 |
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Don’t know |
8 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
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