ORANGE COUNTY ANNUAL SURVEY

INTRODUCTION

The theme of this year's report is "Issues of the 1990s." In the 1990 Orange County Annual Survey, we 
asked questions that allow us to explore three interrelated issues that are central topics in discussions 
about the county's future. These are the environment, regional government and transportation 
alternatives.

We began our analysis of the environment in last year's survey, in which we found that the public had 
only sketchy attitudes and knowledge about the Air Quality Management Plan. Since then, local awareness 
about environmental issues has been raised by events such as the Huntington Beach oil spill, the efforts 
to preserve open space in Laguna Canyon, discussions surrounding the statewide "Big Green" initiative and 
the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. This year, we gauge the depth of public concern over environmental 
threats. We also look at-ways in which environmental concerns may have triggered lifestyle changes.

The second issue we consider is regional government. The concept of "regional solutions" has been at the 
center of many discussions of Southern California's problems, including air quality, housing costs, 
growth and traffic. Previous surveys have found widespread public distrust of this new approach. In this 
survey, we explore the public's perceptions of what regional government is, as well as preferences for 
how such officials should be chosen and for ideal forms of regional government.

Third, we examine changing public attitudes about mass transit. It is widely acknowledged that to reduce 
traffic congestion and air pollution in Southern California, some residents will have to change their 
habit of driving alone to work. In this survey, we explore public support for encouraging and funding 
transportation alternatives, such as light rail and public buses. We also look at how often residents 
have used alternatives to solo driving in the past, and at how likely they would be to use alternative 
means of commuting in future if such options were available.
 	
The 1990 annual survey also includes several questions that have been asked in previous annual surveys. 
These "tracking" questions allow us to analyze trends over time, some from as early as the 1982 annual 
survey. We include all the key issues we have explored during the 1980s.
 	
First, we examine residents' ratings of the current quality of life in Orange County and their levels of 
optimism about the county's future. We are especially interested in learning whether ratings of the 
county's quality of life are still decreasing, and if residents continue to be negative about the 
county's future.

We also look at trends in identification of the county's
most important problems. Traffic has always emerged as the most frequently mentioned public policy 
problem, and drug abuse has been the dominant social problem. While public consensus on these issues is 
unlikely to change drastically from year to year, we are interested in seeing whether any new policy or 
social problems are gaining ground.

As for traffic congestion, we monitor trends in satisfaction with Orange County's freeways. Further, we 
look at changes within the county's four regions in support for adding new lanes and building new 
freeways. We also look for evidence of changes in commuting habits as traffic has worsened in the past 
nine years. And we repeat questions from the 1982 survey on commuting method, time spent commuting and 
location of workplace.

Turning to growth policy, we see if the preference for tighter local restrictions is still increasing, or 
if the slowdown in the housing market has affected this trend.

Housing remains a major issue in orange County. While prices may have leveled off this year, housing 
costs in orange County are still among the highest in the nation. Also, while housing has not been rated 
as the Number One problem, it is often near the top of the list of many residents' concerns. Thus, we 
analyze trends in mortgage and rental costs both for the county and its regions. This year, we put 
special focus on the strains housing costs have caused younger residents.

We continue to explore charitable giving. We analyze the trends in giving to all charities over the past 
three years, and repeat our question on volunteering time to charitable efforts, asked for the first time 
in last year's annual survey.

Of particular relevance this year are changes in economic well-being. We analyze Orange County's 
responses to the University of Michigan's five-question "Consumer Confidence Index," comparing the 
answers this year to those of the previous four years. We also compare the overall consumer confidence 
score for the county and the nation. And we analyze the trends for growth in the median household income.

Finally, we look at the political climate in orange county. This year, we asked questions about the 1990 
elections, measuring the early support for Big Green (Proposition 128) and the
Taxpayer's Right to Vote (Proposition 136) initiatives. Both tap into basic concerns of local residents. 
In addition, we examine trends in party preference and political ideology over time.
In analyzing the 1990 annual survey, we compare this year's results with those found in previous annual 
surveys. We consider differences in attitudes between various subgroups, such as age, income and 
residence. When possible, we contrast local attitudes with those found in state and national surveys.