CSUSB Annual Survey: Residents Rate SB County a Very Good Place to Live

San Bernardino County is a “very good” place to live, according to residents who think the county’s economy is excellent, and say they have a “great deal” or “some” trust in their elected officials, but still worry about crime. Those were some of the findings in the 2015 Inland Empire Annual Survey, a telephone survey of 1,115 residents randomly selected within San Bernardino County and conducted by the Institute of Applied Research at Cal State San Bernardino. The institute analyzes public opinion in San Bernardino County relative to the economy, crime, ratings of the county as a place to live, private and public services, commuting, and confidence in elected officials, said Barbara Sirotnik, IAR director and professor of statistics and supply chain management at CSUSB. This year the survey, which is available in a PDF format at the institute’s website or from the CSUSB Office of Strategic Communication, was supported by CSUSB as a platinum sponsor; the Mojave Water Agency and the city of Rancho Cucamonga as silver sponsors; and Omnitrans as a bronze sponsor. CSUSB, the Mojave Water Agency and Omintrans are long-time sponsors, while the city of Rancho Cucamonga is a new sponsor. All the sponsors gain valuable information from the collected data. The following are highlights of the survey as they relate to various community issues: Economic Evaluations: The number of residents who rated the county’s economy as “excellent” or “good” improved significantly this year but still remained lower than pre-recession levels. There continues to be an improvement in the number of respondents reporting that they are better off financially than they were a year ago and optimism about their financial future has increased. Younger people seem to feel more optimistic about their financial futures than do older people; renters are more optimistic than home owners; and Hispanics have a higher likelihood than non-Hispanics to think they will be “better off” financially in the coming year. Crime, Perceptions and Reality: Fear of crime is unchanged from last year, although since 2007 there has been a slight upward trend in fear. This increase may be due to changing demographics, budget cuts resulting in decreased levels of law enforcement staffing, or the effects of prison realignment. Fear of crime is greatest among Hispanics (as opposed to non-Hispanics). Fear of crime was highest in the city of San Bernardino and lowest in the Rancho Cucamonga/Alta Loma area. Overall Rating of the County as a Place to Live: Nearly two-thirds of residents rated San Bernardino County as a “very good” or “fairly good” place to live. Ratings of the county are strongly related to residents’ perceptions of the county’s economy as well as their level of fear of crime. Residents continued to cite “good area/location/scenery” as the most positive aspect of living in the county, and “crime/gang activity” as the most negative. Air quality has virtually dropped off the charts as a major negative of life in the county. Evaluations of Evaluations of Selected Private and Public Services: Libraries were rated the highest among all evaluated services, followed by ratings of police/sheriff, shopping, and parks and recreation. Street/road maintenance was rated lowest of the list of services for another year. Commuting: Since 1997, most respondents have reported that their commute time is less than one hour. Median commute time is the highest it has been since the inception of this survey. Most respondents report that they work in San Bernardino County, with Los Angeles County being the next destination of choice. Confidence in Elected Officials: Confidence in elected officials hasn’t budged. A majority of respondents report having a “great deal” or “some” confidence in their elected officials. To download the PDF format of the 2015 Inland Empire Annual Survey, visit http://iar.csusb.edu/reports/ie_annual_survey.html. To speak to the primary author of the report, Professor Barbara Sirotnik, call (909) 537-5729. The Institute of Applied Research and Policy Analysis at California State University, San Bernardino is a full-service consulting and applied research organization. The purpose of the institute is to provide a variety of research and consulting services to public agencies, business organizations, and individuals within the university's service area.