DOI: 10.7280/d1mw2m
title: Special Survey of Orange County 2004

description: This survey of 1,008 adult residents includes questions from earlier
 Orange County Annual Surveys. It also includes key indicators from the
 PPIC Statewide Survey for comparisons with the state and regions of
 California. It also considers racial/ethnic, income, and political
 differences. The following issues are explored in this Orange County
 Survey: Orange County Issues, Housing Issues, and State and National
 Issues. Orange County Issues include such questions as: What are the
 trends over time in consumer confidence and the public's ratings of
 the quality of life and the economy in Orange County? Do residents recall
 the Orange County government bankruptcy in 1994, how do they perceive its
 impacts today, and have attitudes toward the county government recovered
 in the past 10 years? How satisfied are residents with their local public
 services and city governments? What are the most important issues facing
 the county and how do residents rate the problems in their regions? What
 are their perceptions of commuting and transportation plans and
 preferences for local transportation taxes? Housing Issues include such
 questions as: How satisfied are residents with their homes and
 neighborhoods and how do they perceive their opportunities for buying a
 home in Orange County? How many residents feel the financial strain of
 housing costs, perceive the benefits of rising home values, or are
 seriously considering moving? What housing and neighborhood options are
 they willing to consider?Online data analysis & additional
 documentation in Link below.
description: The Orange County Survey a collaborative effort of the Public Policy
 Institute of California and the School of Social Ecology at the University
 of California, Irvine is a special edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey.
 This is the fourth in an annual series of PPIC surveys of Orange County.
 Mark Baldassare, director of the PPIC Statewide Survey, is the founder and
 director of the Orange County Annual Survey at UCI and a former UCI
 professor. The UCI survey was conducted 19 times from 1982 to 2000; thus,
 the Orange County Survey collaboration between PPIC and UCI that began in
 2001 is an extension of earlier survey efforts. The special survey of
 Orange County is co-sponsored by UCI with local support received for this
 four-year series from Deloitte and Touche, Pacific Life Foundation,
 Disneyland, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Business Council, Orange
 County Division of League of California Cities, Orange County Register,
 The Irvine Company, and United Way of Orange County.
 
 Orange County is the second most populous county in the state and one of
 California's fastest growing and changing regions. The county is home
 to three million residents today, having gained approximately one million
 residents since 1980. Three in four residents were white and non-Hispanic
 in 1980; today, nearly half are Latinos and Asians, and more population
 growth and racial/ethnic change are projected for the next several
 decades. The county's dynamic economy has become one of the leaders
 in the high-technology industry. The county is a bellwether county in
 state and national politics and the site of many important local
 governance issues, including a county government bankruptcy that occurred
 10 years ago in December 1994. There are also housing, transportation,
 land use, and environmental concerns related to development. Public
 opinion findings are critical to informing discussions and resolving
 public debates on key issues. The purpose of this study is to inform
 policymakers, the media, and the general public by providing timely,
 accurate, and objective information about policy preferences and economic,
 social, and political trends.
 
 To measure changes over time, this survey of 1,008 adult residents
 includes questions from earlier Orange County Annual Surveys. It also
 includes key indicators from the PPIC Statewide Survey for comparisons
 with the state and regions of California. We also consider racial/ethnic,
 income, and political differences. The following issues are explored in
 this Orange County Survey:
 
 Orange County Issues What are the trends over time in consumer confidence
 and the public's ratings of the quality of life and the economy in
 Orange County? Do residents recall the Orange County government bankruptcy
 in 1994, how do they perceive its impacts today, and have attitudes toward
 the county government recovered in the past 10 years? How satisfied are
 residents with their local public services and city governments? What are
 the most important issues facing the county and how do residents rate the
 problems in their regions? What are their perceptions of commuting and
 transportation plans and preferences for local transportation taxes?
 
 Housing Issues How satisfied are residents with their homes and
 neighborhoods and how do they perceive their opportunities for buying a
 home in Orange County? How many residents feel the financial strain of
 housing costs, perceive the benefits of rising home values, or are
 seriously considering moving? What housing and neighborhood options are
 they willing to consider?
 
 State and National Issues What is the overall outlook for California and
 U.S. conditions? How do residents rate the job performances of Governor
 Arnold Schwarzenegger and President George W. Bush? What are their
 perceptions of the national election and the second term of the Bush
 presidency? Has the partisan divide in trust in the federal government
 increased over time?