Study: County residents satisfied

Alicia Robinson

Orange County residents are happy with most aspects of their lives,

including their government, their neighborhoods and the local

economy, a recent study from the Public Policy Institute of

California showed.

In affluent Orange County, confidence in the economy is expected,

said Ron Huff, dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology. UCI was

a cosponsor of the study, which compiled data from a phone survey of

1,008 residents.

What’s interesting, Huff said, is the study’s finding that

residents are satisfied with the job Orange County government is

doing, especially on the 10-year anniversary of the county’s

bankruptcy.

“I think that’s the major thing that’s really a surprise,” he

said. “A lot of other things in [the study] are pretty common

findings.”

The survey also compares some responses to how residents answered

over the past 10 years. Over the last eight years, the percentage of

people who think the county government’s performance is excellent or

good has more than doubled, from 24% in 1996 to 49% today.

The residents surveyed gave the local economy much higher ratings

than they did a decade ago. Now 69% of residents rate the Orange

County economy excellent or good, compared with 28% in 1994.

But the picture isn’t rosy for everyone in the county. Also

included in the survey were questions about the high cost of housing.

Of those polled, 42% of homeowners and 54% of renters said it’s

not very likely or not at all likely they would be able to find a

home they like and can afford in Orange County in the near future.

“I think the concerns that I have heard from the people that I’ve

sold houses to is, No. 1, the cost of housing is obviously high,”

said Kent McNaughton, an agent for First Team Real Estate in Newport

Beach.

Home buyers also worry about their taxes and traffic, he said.

Commutes are getting longer because the lack of affordable homes

means people are moving farther from where they work, and that can

hurt more than just commuters.

“[Lack of affordable housing] affects businesses because they have

to find places for their workers to live,” Huff said.

Many people are pleased overall with the quality of life and

economy in Orange County, though more whites than Latinos are happy

with conditions, according to the study. Residents’ satisfaction here

is interesting in light of a Public Policy Institute survey in

November that showed 24% of Californians are considering moving

because of high housing costs, Huff said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].