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Problems in Orange County’s Regions When asked specifically about four problems in their part of Orange County, majorities of residents rate traffic (56%) and housing affordability (51%) in their region as big problems. One in three (33%) rate population growth and development, and one in four (23%) see a lack of lucrative job opportunities as serious problems. Concern over traffic and the availability of affordable housing has risen, while worries about good jobs have fallen somewhat since last year.
As a comparison with the July 2003 PPIC Statewide Survey shows, Orange County residents are less likely than Californians as a whole to rank any of these issues as big problems in their region. Housing costs are a much greater concern in the Bay Area (76%); growth is a larger problem in Los Angeles (48%); and traffic is more bothersome in both the San Francisco Bay Area (70%) and Los Angeles County (72%).
There are, however, significant differences by race/ethnicity in Orange County. On the one hand, Latinos are considerably more likely than whites to see the lack of jobs as a serious regional problem (44% to 15%). Whites, on the other hand, are more concerned than Latinos about traffic (64% to 41%) and population growth (39% to 21%). The scarcity of well-paying job opportunities is also seen as a bigger problem by younger people (31%), those who lack a college education (39%), and those with incomes below $40,000 (38%). The shortage of affordable housing is especially difficult for renters, 62 percent of whom call it a big problem in their part of Orange County.
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