1983 ORANGE COUNTY SURVEY

                       INTRODUCTION

The Orange County Annual Survey was begun in 1982 to monitor the 
demographic, economic, and political character of Orange County and the 
changes in this character over time.  Areas of primary concentration are 
housing, mobility, growth, transportation, public services, politics and 
government, and demographics.  The survey of 1983 builds on its 
predecessor in each of these areas with a view toward the implications of 
current trends for the future of Orange County.
	Thus, for example, the 1982 survey showed the extreme degree of 
pessimism of non-homeowners about the likelihood of owning their own home 
in Orange County.  The 1983 survey pursues this issue by asking 
non-homeowners if they would be willing to compromise and buy smaller 
homes if payments were affordable.  The 1982 survey uncovered a higher 
than expected desire among current residents to move out of the county.  
The 1983 survey monitors the potential loss of the Orange County 
population to the Inland Empire by asking residents if they have 
considered moving to the Riverside-San Bernadino area.  Last year's 
survey demonstrated the intensity of anti-growth sentiment in Orange 
County.  This year, residents' preferences for specific actions to limit 
growth are assessed.  In 1982, the vast dissatisfaction with the 
transportation system in the county was revealed.  The current survey 
asks residents whether they would be willing to pay a one- percent sales 
tax in order to improve freeways and mass transit.  Last year's survey 
uncovered negative ratings of the schools in Orange County and of local 
government.  The 1983 survey focuses on residents' specific reason for 
dissatisfaction with their children's schools.  The survey also focuses 
on several aspects of evaluation of local government's performance.
	Not only is each of these areas assessed in terms of implications 
for the future, but residents are asked directly for their projections 
for Orange County's future.  These evaluations of whether Orange County 
will be a better or worse place to live in the future and the 
determinants form an additional and separate area of investigation for 
this year's survey.
	Finally, several special topics are pursued in the 1983 survey.  
These are in keeping with the overall theme of the survey of studying 
special population groups in Orange County.  This year's topics focus on 
special populations in terms of different age or life cycle groups.  
Young adults, parents with children under 18, and the elderly are 
selected.  Specifically, the problem of depression in young people, of 
parenting problems and the evaluation of schools among people with 
children, and social relations among the elderly are chosen for 
investigation.
	As an overview of the report, the methodology of the survey is 
described in the following section.  Demographic characteristics of the 
sample are then presented.  The next sections focus, respectively, on the 
future of Orange County, transportation, housing, moving, public service 
spending, preferred growth policies, and politics and government.  
Finally, special topics on young adults, persons with children, and the 
elderly are presented.  A concluding section summarizes this year's 
findings, discusses the implications of the results, and looks toward 
topics to be covered in the 1984 survey.