Recent lewis_scs items

Issue 1: Ratings of So Cal Local Government Lukewarm

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The 2006 survey found that a majority of Southern California residents have some degree of confidence in local government, although they have less confidence in local government’s ability to solve the problems that most affect them. Whites have more confidence than other ethnic groups do. Regionally, Inland empire residents have lost considerable confidence in local government since last year. Overall, ratings of local government performance vary by issue area, but most residents rate performance as neither adequate nor inadequate but somewhere in the middle. However there is greater polarization in opinion on government performance in 2006 than we found in 2005.

Policy Brief 1: Falling Short on Helping the Poor

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The responsibility of assisting the poor through public policy has increasingly fallen on the shoulders of local governments. Historically, the federal government had played a very strong role in ensuring a basic quality of life for most poor urban residents.This policy brief examines local residents’ perceptions of whether local governments in Southern California are doing enough to meet the needs of the poor.

Southern California Latinos Information Sheet

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

In 2003, Latino households made up 31 percent of all households in Southern California and 25 percent of homeowners. Latinos have a lower homeownership rate and lower median home value because of lower income. Nonetheless, the number of Latino homeowners has increased, while the number of Non-Hispanic (NH) white homeowners has remained constant. In other words, Latinos are an important market for new homebuyers.

Outsourcing Southern California Information Sheet

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Public opinion surveys can play an important role in decision making as they gather information that complements data from standard sources such as the Decennial Census and Current Population Survey. This Information Sheet presents findings from a recently completed survey of Southern California residents (those living in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura). The information from the survey can help better inform elected officials about the public’s concerns and priorities, such as the issue of job outsourcing. Our main finding is that only a minority of Southern Californians report working for a firm that practice outsourcing. The proportion varies with the characteristics of the firms but not with the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents.

Latinos and So Cal Local Government

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The information from the survey can help better inform elected officials about the public’s concerns and priorities, such as how Latino residents feel about the region and about local government. Latinos’ concerns about the region’s top problems are similar to those of other Southern California residents, although they rank some problems differently. A majority of Southern California Latinos do have some degree of confidence in their local government, and actually have more confidence in local government’s ability to solve problems that affect them personally than non-Latinos do. However Latinos are slightly more pessimistic about quality of life in the region.

So Cal Survey 2005 Technical Paper

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Lewis Center has partnered with several groups to develop the survey and to analyze and disseminate the results. Organizations on the UCLA campus include the Center for Communications and Community, the Institute for Transportation Studies, the UCLA Center for Civil Society, and the UCLA Anderson School. We have also partnered with two public agencies, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC). UCLA faculty partners include Vickie Mays from the Psychology Department and Michael Stoll from the Department of Policy Studies. We also received helpful comments from several UCLA faculty members including Brian Taylor, Amy Zegart, Frank Gilliam, Helmut Anheier, Hagai Katz, Chris Thornberg and Ed Leamer.

The survey covers seven topics but is divided into two parts, Form A and Form B. The Public Opinion, Transportation, and Demographic modules are administered to all 1500 survey respondents. The...

Issue 10: Perceptions of Congestion Not Universal