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Most Important Countywide Problem When residents are asked to name the most important issue facing Orange
County today, four topics cluster tightly at the top of the list: Population
growth and development, at 15 percent, and traffic and transportation,
housing, and jobs and the economy, with 13 percent each. Over the last
three years, concern over jobs and the economy has increased, concern
over population and growth has fallen, and concern about El Toro has
virtually evaporated.
Perception of the county’s most important issue varies significantly by region and race/ethnicity. In the South County, 20 percent name population growth and development as the top concern, putting it well ahead of other issues. In the North County, only 14 percent mention this topic. Whites are much more likely than Latinos to name growth and development as the most important issue (21% to 5%) and are also more concerned about traffic (16% to 6%). In contrast, Latinos are more inclined than whites to name jobs and the economy (17% to 10%) and crime and gangs (12% to 2%) as the top county issues. By way of comparison, Los Angeles County residents in our March 2003 survey expressed very different concerns: Twenty-six percent named crime as their top concern, compared to 5 percent in Orange County; and 15 percent of Angelenos said that schools are the most important county issue, compared to 5 percent in Orange County.
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