This trend continues in the 1998 survey. Other issues receiving fewer mentions include the environment, housing, race relations, poverty, drugs, health care, values, taxes and government regulations. Since 1993, crime has repeatedly been named the top issue by Orange County residents. This year's results are generally consistent with recent years. However, all of these racial and ethnic groups mention crime more often than any other issue.
Crime also is considered the most serious problem in all age and income groups.
The crime rates in Orange County have been on the decline for the past few years. Thus, it is surprising that residents still consider crime to be the most serious public policy concern. Perhaps the mention of crime reflects some real personal concerns about safety, or perhaps it is driven by the amount of attention that crime news receives in the media. For this reason, we asked a question to gauge how safe people felt walking alone in their neighborhoods at night. A considerable number of Orange County residents thus continues to be worried about being a victim of crime in their neighborhoods.