Professor Says Pessimistic Trend May Bottom Out

Although 44% of residents surveyed think that Orange County will become a worse place to live, UC Irvine professor Mark Baldassare believes that a trend of pessimism about the future may be bottoming out.

Changes respondents are willing to make in their lifestyles to protect the environment--such as conserving water, recycling and supporting transportation alternatives as well as freeway construction--bespeak a sense that people can improve matters, said Baldassare, who released the results of the 1990 Orange County Annual Survey on Monday.

“We’re seeing the beginning of a new trend in which people are feeling that they can do something about the environment,” Baldassare said. “And they are feeling that perhaps things can be done about traffic and uncontrolled growth.”

To be sure, those who believe that things are going “badly” in Orange County--25%--now outnumber those who say things are going “well”--22%--among the 1,017 adults surveyed in September. The negative rating has increased 12 percentage points since 1987, while positive attitudes dropped 15 points over the same period.

Worries about traffic, the lack of affordable housing and a dramatic decline in consumer confidence all play to that pessimism. At the same time, Baldassare noted, the survey shows a willingness to support transit alternatives such as light rail, as well as building new freeways and new lanes on existing freeways.

Adding to that, survey respondents say they are more often conserving water, recycling trash, buying environmentally safe products and limiting driving.

And although local consumer confidence has plummeted in the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis and the nation’s downward economic spiral, the median income of respondents increased 9% over the previous year. More than half of those surveyed expressed confidence that it would rise again in 1991.

“Orange County is doing pretty well economically,” Baldassare said. “There are obvious pockets which have serious difficulties, and there are people with serious worries about the future. For young residents, for example, . . . there are great concerns about high housing costs. For older residents, health care appears to be a pressing issue. But people in general are doing pretty well.”

Local government, now armed with gasoline tax funds and the half-cent sales tax increase approved with Measure M last month, is poised to make strides in curbing traffic congestion and holding down the impact of development. Could increased optimism about the future be far behind?

“People are feeling there are things they can do that will make a difference,” Baldassare said. “And perhaps they are feeling that things aren’t as dismal as they appeared to be a few years ago.”

ORANGE COUNTY ANNUAL SURVEY

Personal Threat of Environmental Problems

How seriously do you view them?

Very serious: 60%

Somewhat Serious: 31%

Not Too Serious: 8%

Don’t Know: 1%

Personal Sacrifices to Improve the Environment

What do you do often?

Limit Driving: 35%

Buy Environmentally Safe Products: 52%

Recycle: 68%

Conserve Water: 76%

Source: 1990 Orange County Annual Survey, UCI