O.C. Residents Less Happy About the Quality of Life : Survey: 10th among yearly polls shows increasing pessimism about future, shift in perception of problems.

After a decade of urbanization and an accompanying surge in traffic, crime and homelessness, Orange County residents are less happy about the quality of their lives and are increasingly pessimistic about the future, according to the 1991 Orange County Annual Survey released Monday.

While 55.5% of those polled still say the quality of life in Orange County is going “somewhat well,” only 11% say the quality of life is going “very well,” down from 37% in 1982, when the first annual survey was conducted.

More revealing is a shift in perception about the top problems facing the county among the 1,002 residents polled between Sept. 3 and Sept. 20.

Traffic was named the county’s No. 1 problem by 26% of those polled, down from 40% in 1990. Meanwhile, 16% of those surveyed cited crime as the county’s worst problem, up from 12% in 1990. Concern over public schools as the county’s worst problem jumped to 14% from 6% in 1990.

“We are no longer the paradise people thought of in 1982,” said UC Irvine social ecology professor Mark Baldassare, who is co-director of the annual countywide survey with UCI research associate Cheryl Katz. “We are no longer insulated from the problems that large urban areas have. . . . We are becoming more like other places, and the question is, whether in the next several years, we will, in fact, descend into mediocrity.

“And that is a matter of where our economy is going next and the degree to which we can maintain the level of public services and planning that Orange County residents have taken for granted in previous years.”

The 10th annual Orange County Survey, which has a 3% margin of error, was conducted at UCI’s Center for Survey Research. The survey is supported by contributions from nearly 40 Orange County public agencies, private foundations and corporations, including The Times Orange County Edition.

In comparing 10 years of survey data on key issues, Baldassare said 1991 respondents revealed an “across-the-board decline” in satisfaction with housing, neighborhoods, jobs, finances and public services. During the same period, state Department of Finance records indicate that the county’s population has grown 22% to an estimated 2,453,300 in 1991. That population growth has resulted in greater demand for public services such as schools, police protection and roads.

Only 28% of those surveyed rated Orange County public schools as “excellent” or “good,” compared to 45% of 1982 respondents who did so.

“That is a significant decline, and I think it says that the public, by and large, has lost confidence in the public school system,” Baldassare said. “It’s not just in Orange County; I think this is a statewide issue.”

Similarly, only 39% of those surveyed gave “excellent” or “good” ratings to their city government, down from 48% of those polled a decade ago. Nearly 60% of those surveyed gave high marks for police protection and local roads, but that was down from the 70% or better ratings given in 1982. Parks and recreation services got excellent or good ratings from 71% of those surveyed, but even that was down from 82% in 1982.

Overall, South County residents among those polled were happier with the level of public services than their counterparts elsewhere.

In terms of quality-of-life indicators, the percentage of 1991 poll respondents who said they were very satisfied with their housing, neighborhoods, jobs and personal finances were all down from 1982.

Only 39% of those surveyed this year were very satisfied with their jobs, compared to 47% of those polled a decade ago. Similarly, 21% were happy with their personal finances, compared to 30% in 1982. Asked to rate how things generally were going in their lives, only 27% said they were “very happy,” down from 34% in 1982.

To some degree, the survey results reflect a pessimism borne of the current economic recession gripping the county, the state and the nation. But Baldassare noted that the first survey in 1982 occurred during the one of the worst economic downturns in Orange County history since World War II.

“Even though there was substantial unemployment and the real estate market was fairly weak that year, I think there was greater hope and greater optimism about where things were going than there is today,” Baldassare said.

The responses in 1991, by contrast, suggest that Orange County residents increasingly are recognizing that the county’s economy is not producing the number of jobs it was five or six years ago. In addition, he said, there is a growing recognition that problems such as crime, poor schools and the high cost of heath care are on the rise.

And these are social problems that require complex--often expensive--solutions, all at a time of tremendous budgetary constraints at all levels of government, he noted.

“People’s income isn’t growing like it was, jobs aren’t being created like they were, and this is causing people to lose confidence in the area, to lose optimism about their own lives,” Baldassare said.

The higher the income, however, the happier they are with the quality of life Orange County offers. One-fifth of those polled reported an annual household income of $80,000 or more, and of those, 71% were very satisfied with their neighborhoods, 58% were very happy with their jobs, 40% were very pleased with their personal finances and 32% were very happy overall.

“Money insulates people from the declines in the quality of life,” Baldassare said. “People who earn over $80,000 today are as satisfied as the average resident was in 1982. But what that means is that only a small portion of Orange County households are as well off as they were in 1982.”

One fast-growing concern among the public is health care, which was cited by 24.1% of those polled as the most serious social problem facing the county, up from 16% in 1990. Only drug abuse ranked higher as the top social problem for 35.3% of respondents.

“There is a growing recognition that medical costs are on the rise and this has become a very scary part of people’s lives,” Baldassare said. “It’s not just that poor people can’t get health insurance, which is a terrible problem. But also, we are seeing that middle-class people are worried that health-care costs can ruin them financially.”

Concern over AIDS was unchanged. Five percent cited the disease as the county greatest social problem. But survey directors noted that the poll was conducted before Earvin (Magic) Johnson told the public he is infected with the AIDS virus.

Last year’s survey showed that Orange County residents were becoming increasingly aware of environmental problems. That trend continued this year, and more than three-fourths of those surveyed said they are recycling paper, glass and aluminum products “most of the time.” Another 83% indicated they were conserving water at home “most of the time.”

Survey co-director Cheryl Katz attributed much of this to newly instituted community recycling programs, which will soon become mandatory under state law.

1991 was a typical year in terms of charitable giving, according to poll respondents who said they gave a median of $229 to charity this year.

“That is less than half of one per cent of the median Orange County income of $49,000,” Katz noted. “Orange County typically gives less than other similar areas, and this year is no different.”

Gloomy View

Results from the 1991 Orange County Annual Survey.

“In the future, do you think Orange County will be a better place to live than it is now, a worse place to live than it is now or there will be no change?”

Better place: 25%

Worse place: 47%

No change: 28%

“Considering all the public policy issues in Orange County, which of these do you think is the most serious problem?”

1991 1990 Traffic 26% 40% Housing 16 16 Growth 16 16 Crime 16 12 Schools 14 6 Immigration 10 8 All Others 2 2

Source: Orange County Annual Surveys, UCI

From the Survey

How satisfied are you with each of the following:

Very Somewhat Somewhat Very satisfied satisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied The house or apartment 56% 35% 6% 3% in which you live? The neighborhood in 54% 35% 7% 4% which you live Your job 39% 27% 6% 3% Your financial situation 21% 52% 17% 9%

Don’t know The house or apartment * in which you live? The neighborhood in * which you live Your job 25% Your financial situation 1%

* Less than 1%

I’d like to ask you how you would rate some of the main public services you are supposed to receive:

Excellent Good Fair Poor 1991 1982 1991 1982 1991 1982 1991 1982 The way streets and 9% 21% 49% 51% 32% 21% 9% 6% roads are kept up The public school system 5% 13% 23% 32% 28% 14% 27% 8% Police protection 11% 24% 49% 52% 28% 16% 9% 4% Parks an other public 17% 33% 54% 49% 18% 10% 8% 2% recreational facilities

Don’t Know 1991 1982 The way streets and 1% 1% roads are kept up The public school system 17% 33% Police protection 3% 4% Parks an other public 3% 6% recreational facilities

Taken all together, how would you say things are these days? Would you say you’re: Very happy: 27% Pretty happy: 60% Not too happy: 13%

As for health and social issues, which of these do you think is Orange County’s most serious problem? Health care: 24% Child care: 11% Race relations: 7% The homeless: 14% Drug abuse: 35% AIDS: 5% Others: 4%

Do you think that government regulation in your city or community aimed at controlling growth are too strict, about right, or not strict enough?

1991 Too strict: 7% About right: 36% Not strict enough: 57%

Not strict enough About right Too strict 1990 56% 36% 8% 1989 59% 35% 6% 1988 52% 42% 6% 1982 40% 51% 9%

In the future, do you think Orange County will be a better place to live than it is now, a worse place to live than it is now or there will be no change? 1991 Better: 25% Worse: 47% No change: 28%

Better Worse No change 1990 29% 44% 27% 1989 28% 47% 25% 1988 35% 28% 27% 1983 40% 35% 25%

How would you rate the performance of your city government in solving problems in your community (residents of unincorporated areas were asked to rate county goverment)?

1991 1982 Excellent 4% 5% Good 35% 43% Fair 37% 34% Poor 13% 8% Don’t know 11% 10%

In the last three years, do you think the population in your city or community has been:

1991 1982 Growing rapidly 63% 54% Growing slowly 18% 23% Staying about the same 18% 18% Losing population 1% 5%

Source: Orange County Annual Surveys, UCI