Poll Finds Racial Conflicts, Fear : Diversity: Annual survey suggests a need for more communication, fewer differences among population groups.

As Orange County becomes more ethnically diverse, many residents see conflicts along racial lines and fear that the local economy and quality of life will suffer without improved communications among different elements of the community, according to poll results released Wednesday.

The Orange County Annual Survey conducted by UC Irvine found that nearly two-thirds of the county’s residents believe ethnic groups here are already in conflict, and almost three-quarters say that ethnic diversity has made it more difficult for local government to be effective.

But nearly half--48%--said the variety of ethnic groups has helped the local economy and quality of life, and more than a third said racial changes in their neighborhood are good. Thirty-eight percent said the changing demographics of the county had harmed the quality of life.

Race relations are a growing local concern, with 39% of the people expecting the situation to get worse, according to the poll of 1,000 adult residents of Orange County conducted by UCI professor Mark Baldassare and research associate Cheryl Katz.

When asked whether minorities have serious problems living here, results were similar to those in the 1985 Orange County Annual Survey: 21% said minorities have very serious problems, 48% said they have somewhat serious problems, and 28% said they have no serious problems.

“Although there’s not widespread discrimination here, many residents are uncomfortable about issues pertaining to diversity and reluctant to accept the changes it brings,” Baldassare said, adding that older, white residents, who are relatively wealthy and politically conservative, are having “the most trouble coping with the demographic changes.”

“We’re talking about phenomenal, historical changes happening in Southern California,” Baldassare said. “The change has been dramatic, it’s been sudden, and it’s come at a time when the (economy is suffering). Clearly, there are a lot of people who are feeling uncomfortable about the amount of change.”

According to the 1990 U.S. Census, of the 2.5 million residents in Orange County, 65% are white, 23% are Latino, 10% are of Asian descent and 2% are black.

The UCI poll--which mirrors a similar survey done this summer in Los Angeles County--was conducted in August.

Complete results of the 13th Orange County Annual Survey, which also polled residents about crime, transportation, the environment, housing and quality of life, are scheduled for release in November.

Executive Director Pat Callahan of Orange County Together said Wednesday that the survey results justify her group’s programs on cross-cultural communication and community policing. Most important, Callahan said, is the fact that 54% of those polled said efforts to improve race relations are “very important” to the quality of life, and 35% said such efforts are “somewhat important.”

“We thought people weren’t talking to each other, and we’ve come to find out they aren’t,” Callahan said. “And, in fact, they’re uncomfortable. And, in fact, they think people are in conflict. And, in fact, they believe it’s going to get worse.

“But the good news is . . . they want to do something about it. If they thought there was a problem, and they thought it was going to get worse but didn’t want to do something about it, that’d be scary.”

Asked about the impact of changing demographics, 45% of Orange County residents said the population’s diversity has helped the local quality of life, while 38% said it has hurt. Regarding the economy, 49% said the variety of ethnic groups has helped and 36% said it has hurt. Los Angeles County residents responded similarly to the same questions.

The two counties also had similar results regarding the impact of diversity on the effectiveness of local government: 73% of Orange County poll respondents and 74% of those in Los Angeles County said the variety of ethnic groups has made it harder for government to function.

“The perception that people might have is that to have a monolithic type of robot citizens is to have an effective government,” Amin David of Los Amigos of Orange County said in response to the survey.

David said the results reveal “xenophobia” in the county that he finds “disquieting.”

“The growth, and the quickness of the growth of diversity here has made anxious the status quo of Orange County,” David said. “One can understand that, but it should not be a growth in fear. It should be expanded understanding, not fear. We need to disarm whatever element of apprehension is found to be highly evident in the surveyed people.”

Baldassare said the survey shows high levels of intolerance in the county. For example, he said, 34% of those polled said schools pay too much attention to the experiences of minorities, while only 14% of the respondents in Los Angeles County said so. And 57% of Orange Countians polled said it is better for minorities to blend into society, while only 23% said they should maintain distinct cultural identities.

Asked whether they experience discrimination based on their ethnicity, 54% of the respondents said “never.” But 38% of the blacks and 15% of Latinos polled said they experience discrimination “always/frequently.”

Among those who said the ethnic and racial makeup of their neighborhood is changing, 48% said the change is good for their neighborhood, and 39% said it is bad. (In the Los Angeles County survey, 57% said the change was good, and 28% said it is bad.)

And 65% of those polled in both counties said they feel relaxed when they are with groups of people from different ethnicities. Only 16% said they feel uneasy in such situations, though 27% of the Latinos polled said they feel uneasy.

“That’s really something great,” David said of the responses to these personal experience questions. “I feel very good about that.”

Whites have a gloomier outlook than members of other ethnic groups, according to the survey.

Among whites, 64% said ethnic groups are in conflict, compared to 59% overall, and 43% of whites predicted race relations will get worse, compared to 49% overall.

Races in Conflict Conflict is the prevailing view of ethnic relations in Orange County-a viewpoint even more widely held in Los Angeles County. * Are ethnic groups in conflict in Orange County / Los Angeles County, or are ethnic groups getting along these days? *

Orange County In conflict: 59% Don’t know: 8% Getting along: 33% *

Los Angeles County In conflict: 70% Don’t know: 5% Getting along: 25% Source: 1994 Orange County Annual Survey, UCI, and 1994 Los Angeles County Social Survey, UCLA

Race Relations Remain Strained Most residents of Orange and Los Angeles counties think race relations will get worse or, at best, remain unchanged. Fewer than half in both counties think racial diversity has helped the quality of life locally. But a majority of Orange County residents believes efforts to improve race relations fare very importat to the county’s future. * In the next five to 10 years, would you say that relations among Orange County’s / Los Angeles County’s different racial fand ethnic groups will improv, stay the same or get worse: *

Orange County Improve: 28% Stay the same: 29% Don’t know: 4% Get worse: 39% *

Los Angeles County Improve: 35% Stay the same: 24% Don’t know: 3% Get worse: 38% *

Has the wide varity of ethnic groups in Orange County / Los Angeles County helped or hurt the quality of life here? Orange County Helped: 45% Don’t know: 17% Hurt: 38% *

Los Angeles County Helped: 47% Don’t know: 11% Hurt: 42% *

In history classes in high school and college, do the experiences of racial and ethnic minority groups receive too much attention now, too little attention or about the right amount? Orange County Too much: 34% Too little: 20% Don’t know: 14% Right amount: 32% *

Los Angeles County Too much: 14% Too little: 39% Don’t know: 9% Right amount: 38% *

In your opinion, how important are efforts to improve race and ethnic relations to the quality of life in Orange County? Very important: 54% Somewhat important: 35% Somewhat unimportant: 6% Very unimportant: 3% Don’t know: 2% Source: 1994 Orange County Annual Survey, UCI, and 1994 Los Angeles County Survey, UCLA