ORANGE COUNTY ANNUAL SURVEY

INTRODUCTION

The theme of this year's report is "Orange County: Approaching the 1990s." In planning the 1989 Orange 
County Annual Survey, we decided to ask questions that would allow us to both explore one new topic in 
great detail and examine previous trends. The survey was designed to provide an extensive analysis of 
issues affecting the next decade.

A number of recent events have focused a seemingly unprecedented amount of international attention on the 
environment. In the past year, the world watched an oil spill cause grave ecological damage in a pristine 
section of Alaska. Americans mounted a public outcry about the destruction of tropical rain forests in 
the Amazon, and listened to researchers' increasingly grave concerns about chloro-fluorocarbons and the 
"hole" in the ozone layer. The "greenhouse effect" became an even more common household word as 
scientists urged the reduction of industrial pollutants and automobile emissions.

Closer to home, Southern California is attempting to improve the air quality and meet government 
standards. For decades, the region has been rated as having the worst air pollution problem in the 
nation. Earlier in the year, an "Air Quality Management Plan" was unveiled. The plan was developed by a 
regional agency that governs Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It has been 
described as a sweeping proposal that will affect all Southern Californians in the 1990s and beyond. It 
has also been heralded as a landmark plan that should serve as a model for cities throughout the United 
States and world.

The Air Quality Management Plan involves some tradeoffs for Southern Californians. It promises needed 
improvements in the area's air quality. But it will also place new restrictions on personal lifestyles, 
consumer choices and business practices in the 1990s. Southern Californians may have to change some 
long-ingrained habits involving such everyday behavior as lawn-mowing and starting up the backyard 
barbecue,. More people will have to carpool to work. Businesses will have to avoid using certain 
chemicals and will face constraints in where they can locate.

This annual survey focuses on several aspects of the plan. We ask about perceptions of air quality in 
both Orange County and Southern California. Other topics include current awareness of the Air Quality 
Management Plan, favorability toward a regional approach to improving air quality, opposition to the 
plan's restrictions on lifestyle, consumer choices and business, and anticipated effects on the local 
economy and quality of life.

The 1989 survey also includes several questions that have been asked in previous annual surveys. These 
"tracking" questions allow us to analyze trends in the 1980s. We have
included tracking questions on the key issues we have explored since the survey began: perceptions of 
Orange County; most important problems; transportation and traffic congestion; and population growth and 
development.

Housing continues to be a major issue in orange county and one we explore in this annual survey. The cost 
of owning a home in Orange County exceeds most regions in the nation.  We analyze trends in mortgage and 
rental costs in the 1980s. We also repeat questions we asked about expectations and hopes of homeowning 
in 1982, and examine changes over time.

We continue the interest in charitable issues that we began in 1985. First, we analyze the trends in 
giving to all charities over the past few years. This year, we also ask a question about volunteering 
time to charitable efforts, which we will add to our on-going tracking series.

We also measure trends in economic well-being. First, we analyze growth rates in the median household 
income from 1982 to 1989. We compare the recent increases with those experienced earlier in the decade. 
We also analyze trends in answers to the University of Michigan's five-question "Consumer Confidence 
Index."

Finally, we look at the political climate in Orange County. We ask three questions about the 1990 
elections: intentions to vote on the nine-cent state gasoline-tax increase; support-for the initiative to 
reduce residential taxes and increase commercial property taxes; and preference in the gubernatorial 
race. In addition, we examine trends in party preference and political ideology over time, and probe into 
perceptions of the political climate.

We have used several approaches in reviewing the 1989 survey results. We compare the responses we 
received this year with those found in previous annual surveys. We consider the significant differences 
in attitudes between the various groups, with a special focus on age, income and residence. We have used 
multivariate techniques to determine the most important predictors of attitudes. Finally, when possible, 
we contrast local attitudes with the findings from questions asked in national surveys.