DOI: 10.7280/d1vc7h
title: Annual Survey of Orange County 1987

description: This year, the Orange County Annual Survey highlights growth and its
 effects on the quality of local life. This topic moves to the forefront in
 1987 and joins traffic congestion among the most discussed issues in the
 county. The sample size is 1,010 Orange County adult residents.Online data
 analysis & additional documentation in Link below.
description: The Orange County Annual Survey was conducted by Mark Baldassare, a
 professor of social ecology at UC Irvine. For the survey, 1,010 -adult
 Orange County residents were interviewed by telephone Sept. 7 to 20. In
 Orange County, where more than 97 percent of households have telephones,
 this method of interview gives highly representative data.
 
 Interviewing was conducted on weekend days and weekday nights using a
 random sample of listed and unlisted telephone numbers. These numbers were
 randomly generated by computer from a list of working blocks of telephone
 exchanges. Within a household, respondents were chosen for interview using
 the Troldahl-Carter method, which randomly selects a household member from
 a grid. The field work was conducted by the Center for Survey Research at
 UCI's Public Policy Research Organization. The telephone sample was
 generated by Pijacki and Associates of Shoreham, N.Y.
 
 Each interview contained 91 questions and took an average of 20 minutes to
 complete. The surveys were designed in three stages over several months.
 In the first stage, UCI graduate students conducted focus group interviews
 on orange County topics with randomly selected adult residents. The second
 stage involved feedback on questions and topics from the Annual
 Survey's Advisory Committee and colleagues. The final stage involved
 extensive consultation with the Center for Survey Research staff, followed
 by pre-tests and final revisions of the questions.
 
 The interview began with questions about housing, consumer confidence and
 quality of life in Orange County. These were followed by questions on
 growth and traffic issues. Later in the interview, we turned to the topics
 of localism and charities. The conclusion of the survey was devoted to
 questions about work and commuting status, personal and household
 characteristics and party politics.
 
 The survey also included questions dedicated to the concerns of three
 sponsors and UCI faculty. The questions on charity, mobility and commuting
 are discussed in thefindings section. The other questions are not part of
 the Orange County Annual Survey report. The survey's validity was
 checked by comparing the sample's characteristics to available
 information on Orange County's population. We compared the 1987
 survey results to the 1980 Census, previous Annual Surveys and other
 recent polling data. Age, income and other demographic features of our
 sample were comparable with those noted in other studies. For data
 analyses, we statistically weighted the sample to represent the actual
 regional distribution of Orange County residents.
 
 The sampling error for this survey is +/3 percent at the 95 percent
 confidence level. This means that 95 times out of 100 the results will be
 within 3 percentage points of what they would be if all adults in Orange
 County were interviewed. The sampling error for any subgroup would be
 larger. Sampling error is just one type of error to which surveys are
 subject. Results may also influenced by factors such as question wording,
 survey timing and interview design.