Transportation and Education are Top Concerns of LA County Residents According to PPIC Survey

COUNTY CONDITIONS

Most Important Issue

When it comes to the most important issues facing Los Angeles County, residents' perceptions have changed very little since 2003. Twenty-one percent of county residents still rank crime and gangs as the number one issue, down slightly from 26 percent in 2003. Education is still second at 17 percent, compared to 15 percent in 2003. And traffic and transportation rank third at 10 percent, up from 6 percent in 2003. Only 5 percent identify jobs and the economy as the top issue facing Los Angeles County today...

Overall County Perceptions

Perceptions of the quality of life in Los Angeles County remain upbeat: 61 percent of residents say things are going somewhat well (51%) or very well (10%), results similar to those in the 2003 survey. However, the ratings differ by county region: Residents in the City of Los Angeles rate their quality of life lower than county residents overall (56% to 61%). Residents in the West area (66%) are the most likely, and residents in the San Fernando Valley (54%) are the least likely, to say things are going at least somewhat well...

Ratings of Local Public Services

Local services in Los Angeles County get mixed reviews. Moreover, residents do not rate them as highly as in years past, and residents in the city of Los Angeles are less satisfied than county residents overall with these services...

Perceptions of Issues in Los Angeles County Areas

When asked to rank the seriousness of six issues, large percentages of county residents identify traffic congestion on freeways (74%) and the availability of affordable housing (64%) as big problems in their area. In contrast, fewer than half of county residents view the availability of affordable healthcare (42%), crime (41%), the lack of opportunities for well-paying jobs (39%), and air pollution (38%) as big problems...

Residents in the city of Los Angeles rank these problems in the same order, but slightly higher percentages identify each issue as a big problem. There are, however, some major differences in perceptions of problems across county regions and racial/ethnic groups. For instance, more than half of Central/Southeast residents and blacks and Latinos say that crime is a big problem in their county area, a level significantly higher than in other regions and for whites and Asians...

Few Los Angeles County residents have noticed improvements in traffic, housing, crime, or the economy in the past few years. For instance, only 5 percent think traffic congestion and the availability of affordable housing have improved; majorities say traffic (71%) and housing (72%) have gotten worse. Residents are more positive about trends in crime and the economy, with 20 percent saying the amount of crime is less of a problem and 1 percent saying the opportunities for well-paying jobs have improved. Fewer than four in 10 adults say these problems have gotten worse...

THE FUTURE OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Most Important Priority

If Los Angeles County residents had to pick one top priority for the county over the next 20 years, 18 percent would choose transportation and 18 percent education. Overall, 10 percent name crime and gangs as a top county priority, while fewer name housing, the economy, and immigration. Although transportation is the top issue in the valleys and West Los Angeles County, residents in Central/Southeast areas put education first. Residents in the Central/Southeast are also more likely to mention crime as a top priority. For residents in the city of Los Angeles, education tops the list, followed by transportation.

There are significant differences across racial and ethnic groups. Asians, blacks, and Latinos all say education should be the county's top priority, but whites put transportation first. Blacks and Latinos are also more likely than other groups to see crime and gangs as a top priority. Whites are less likely than other groups to think jobs and the economy should come first.

There are also partisan differences: Education is named as the top priority for the future among Democrats (21%), while Republicans are more likely to name transportation (30%). Similarly, adults under 35 say education should be the top priority over the next two decades (22%), while those age 35 and older consider transportation the most important county issue (22%).

Future Conditions: Race Relations, Education, and the Economy

Los Angeles County residents overall are optimistic about the future of race relations in the county: 61 percent think conditions will improve in 20 years; 30 percent say they will be worse. Optimists also outnumber pessimists in expectations for the public schools (51% improve, 40% get worse). However, people are evenly divided about the future of the economy (47% improve, 45% get worse).

Statewide, a similar 44 percent expect their region's economy to improve and 47 percent think it will be worse, according to our August 2004 survey. That statewide survey also found that Californians were somewhat less optimistic than Los Angeles County residents about their schools: 45 percent said their region's schools would be better in 2025, while 46 percent thought they would get worse. We did not ask about race relations in the August survey; however, the responses of Los Angeles County residents today are similar to responses in our statewide survey in December 1999 (61% believed race relations will improve).

Perceptions of future conditions in race and ethnic relations, the public education system, and jobs and the economy are fairly similar across regions. There are no major differences between those who live inside and outside the city of Los Angeles. San Fernando Valley residents are the most likely to think the county's economy will get worse rather than improve, while those in West Los Angeles County are the most inclined to see good economic times ahead. Residents in the county's other regions are evenly divided about the economy.

Blacks are more pessimistic than others about the future of race relations. Asians and Latinos are more positive than whites and blacks about the schools. Also, those with school children are more likely than those without school children to think the education system will improve by 2025 (58% to 45%).

Future Conditions: Traffic and the Natural Environment

The public's views of traffic conditions and the quality of the natural environment in 2025 are considerably downbeat: 77 percent of Los Angeles County residents think traffic conditions will get worse, and 65 percent think the quality of the environment will decline over the next 20 years. They are less pessimistic than Californians in general about traffic. In our August 2004 survey, 81 percent of Californians said traffic conditions would get worse. However, they are more pessimistic about the environment. In our December 1999 survey, 60 percent of Californians said they expected the environment to be worse.

There are no major differences between those who live inside or outside of the city of Los Angeles. San Fernando Valley residents are especially negative about the future quality of the natural environment. Perceptions of the quality of the natural environment are similar across racial and ethnic groups. However, whites are especially pessimistic about the future of traffic conditions (11% improve, 87% get worse).

Democrats are more negative than Republicans about the future of the environment (70% to 59%, get worse); however, voters from the major parties have fairly similar expectations for traffic in 2025 (81% to 87%, get worse). Solid majorities in all demographic groups expect both issues to be worse 20 years from now.

Future Outlook

Residents' expectations about the future quality of life in Los Angeles County are also relatively pessimistic. Only one in four residents expects that in 20 years it will be a better place to live than now, while 37 percent expect it to be a worse place to live, and 35 percent expect no change.

In every region, there are more residents who expect Los Angeles County to be a worse place than a better place to live in 20 years. City of Los Angeles residents are no different than others in their perceptions of overall conditions in the future (25% better, 37% worse, 33% no change). Across racial/ethnic groups, whites have the largest gap between pessimists and optimists (18 points), followed by blacks (14 points), Latinos (8 points), and Asians (2 points). Pessimism about the future of Los Angeles County tends to increase with age, education, income, and years at current residence. There are no differences in perceptions of the future between Democrats and Republicans or between men and women.

Six in 10 county residents say they see themselves living in Los Angeles County in five years, while one in three expect to be living elsewhere. Those who anticipate living elsewhere are almost evenly divided between leaving California and remaining in the state. Whites and Asians are more likely than blacks and Latinos to say that they will be living in Los Angeles County five years from now, and blacks are the most likely to say that they expect to be living outside of California.

Younger, less educated, lower-income residents and renters are the most likely to say that they expect to be living outside of Los Angeles County in five years. Across the regions, residents living in the Central/Southeast areas (36%) are the most likely to say they will be living outside of Los Angeles County five years from now. As for residents in the city of Los Angeles, 59 percent expect to live in the county five years from now, 16 percent say elsewhere in California, and 19 percent say outside the state.

Surface Transportation

County residents have divided views when it comes to choosing the type of surface transportation that should have top priority for public funding as their region prepares for the future. The top three choices for residents in the county as a whole-and in the city of Los Angeles-are freeways and highways, followed by light rail and the subway system. Fewer say public buses, local streets, and carpool lanes are most important. Of the seven in 10 residents who drive alone to work, most also mention freeways and highways (29%), light rail (23%), and the subway system (20%) as top priorities for public funding.

In our PPIC Statewide Survey on "Californians and the Future" in August 2004, freeways and highways and light rail systems were mentioned most often and, equally, as the top funding priorities.

Whites, likely voters, upper-income, and college-educated residents are most likely to name two types of projects in equal proportions-freeways/highways and light rail-as their top priorities for public funding. Lower-income, less educated, foreign-born, and nonwhite residents more often than others mention public buses as what is most needed in Los Angeles County over the next 20 years.

While it may not be everyone's priority for public funding, nearly two in three residents believe that a light rail system will be very important for Los Angeles County in 20 years, and nine in 10 adults perceive this type of surface transportation as at least somewhat important in their county's future. This opinion is shared across regions, racial/ethnic groups, political groups, and inside and outside of the city of Los Angeles.

Infrastructure Planning

While few residents name carpool lanes as their top priority for public funding over the next 20 years, seven in 10 favor expanding the use of carpool lanes and bus lanes as ways to reduce the number of solo drivers on major freeways. The preference for expanding carpool and bus lanes is held across regions and racial/ethnic groups, and even among those who currently drive alone to work.

When asked to weigh the environmental tradeoffs involved in growth and development over the next 20 years, there is substantial opposition to expansion of both airport and seaport facilities. Two in three residents in the county and city of Los Angeles oppose the expansion of the Los Angeles International Airport. Opposition is strong across county regions and across racial/ethnic and income groups. Almost the same level of opposition is expressed regarding the expansion of the Port of Los Angeles, with majorities across regions, racial/ethnic groups, and income saying they are against port expansion if it means more traffic congestion and air pollution in nearby communities.