ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY ECONOMY

Spring 2011

How confident are you that local government will be able to effectively deal with this challenge,

are you very confident, somewhat confident or not very confident?

(1) Very confident 7%
(2) Somewhat confident 44%
(3) Not very confident 43%

(0) No answer, don’t know 7%

Spring 2011

The state and county governments have had to tighten their belts to balance their budgets lately.

Have you observed any decreases in services as a result of this belt-tightening?

(1) No 70% (0) No answer 5% (2) Yes 26%

Spring 2011

IF you have observed any decreases in services, which services or programs were affected?

(Percentages only include values from the 26 percent with opinions on this item-multiple answers possible).

Program or service mentioned	Circle %
Child services (daycare subsidies, juvenile justice)	4
College tuition (higher tuition, harder to find classes)	7
Fire department, Emergency Medical Services (salaries, staffing, response time, equipment)	6
Library services (fewer hours, smaller collections, fewer publications available)	15
Mental health services (lower availability, less access to medical services – medicine, appointments)	1
MVA (higher documentation fees, registration fees)	2
Police (salaries, staffing, response time, equipment)	6
Roads, mass transit (lack of maintenance, less frequent bus service, higher cost)	24
Schools, teachers (salaries, school-based programs)	19
Seniors services (fewer hours, less staff support)	6
Staffing problems within government (unspecified) – office hours lessened, slower service	4
Jobs/furloughs/salaries	6

Fall 2011

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether

any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure, no answer %
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	59	39	2
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	26	71	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	21	75	5
Found a new or better job recently	14	83	3
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	60	38	3
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	8	91	1
Unable to find affordable housing	11	87	2
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	30	69	1
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	39	61	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	51	48	1
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	32	66	2
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	58	36	5

Fall 2011

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please

answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition

will be better, the same or worse:

	Better %	Same %	Worse%	Unsure/NA%
Economic growth	25	42	28	6
Unemployment	25	37	34	5
Inflation	11	30	54	5
Your personal financial situation	20	54	22	4

Fall 2011

Compared to other states or counties in the Mid-Atlantic region, how do you think Maryland and
Anne Arundel County are doing in dealing with the economic downturn – better, about the same, or worse?
First, how is Maryland doing… (and how about Anne Arundel County?)

	Better %	Same%	Worse%	Unsure/NA
State of Maryland	32	46	14	7
Anne Arundel County	36	46	10	7

Spring 2012

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure, no answer %
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	66	32	3
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	35	62	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	17	82	1
Found a new or better job recently	16	83	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	44	54	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	8	91	2
Unable to find affordable housing	15	84	1
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	36	63	1
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	39	60	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	45	54	0
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	32	66	2
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	63	32	5

Spring 2012

Thinking about the next 12 months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions

by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

	Better	Same	Worse	Unsure/NA
Economic growth	36	40	19	5
Unemployment	36	35	27	2
Inflation	9	29	55	7
Your personal financial situation	24	54	18	4

Fall 2012

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these

economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure/NA
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	59	38	4
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	31	67	2
Facing the possibility of unemployment	14	84	2
Found a new or better job recently	11	88	1
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	38	60	3
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	4	95	1
Unable to find affordable housing	9	90	1
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	30	68	2
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	32	67	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	38	61	0
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	27	72	1
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	63	34	3

Fall 2012

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following

questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

	Better%	Same%	Worse%	Unsure/NA%
Economic growth	41	34	15	10
Unemployment	42	30	20	9
Inflation	10	33	48	9
Your personal financial situation	28	54	14	4

Fall 2012

Thinking about your personal financial situation, is it better, the same or worse than four years ago?

(1) Better 34% (2) Same 29% (3) Worse 35% (0) Unsure/NA 2%

Fall 2012

Next I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland, and in the United States generally.

First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County -- excellent, good, only fair or poor?

How about the state? How about the nation?

	Excellent %	Good%	Only fair%	Poor%	Unsure/Don’t know
County	5	43	39	12	2
State	3	30	42	23	2
Nation	2	14	37	46	1

Spring 2013

I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland and in the United States generally.

First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County--excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent

Good

Only fair

Poor

Unsure/Don’t know

County

3

46

38

11

3

State

1

29

41

24

4

Nation

2

10

38

47

3

Spring 2013

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply%	Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	59	38	3
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	34	64	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	19	78	4
Found a new or better job recently	14	84	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	32	66	3
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	7	92	0
Unable to find affordable housing	12	86	2
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	27	70	3
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	31	67	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	42	56	2
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	32	65	3
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	62	35	4

Spring 2013

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county's economy, please answer the following questions
by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse

	Better%	Same%	Worse%	Unsure/NA%
Economic growth	31	39	24	6
Unemployment	24	32	37	7
Inflation	9	32	52	8
Your personal financial situation	23	58	16	4

Fall 2013

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these
economic conditions apply to you or your household.

	Applies	Doesn’t apply	Unsure, no answer
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	60	37	2
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	29	70	1
Facing the possibility of unemployment	17	80	2
Found a new or better job recently	16	83	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	32	64	4
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	7	92	1
Unable to find affordable housing	14	85	1
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	24	75	1
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	29	71	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	38	60	1
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	29	69	2
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	66	31	3

Fall 2013

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions
by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

	Better%	Same%	Worse%	Unsure/NA%
Economic growth	26	44	25	5
Unemployment	23	33	40	5
Inflation	6	31	58	5
Your personal financial situation	21	56	18	5

Fall 2013

Please tell me how well you think the County has dealt with each of the following problems over the last year
has it gotten better, stayed about the same, or gotten worse?

Problem	Gotten better %	Stayed about the same%	Gotten worse%	Unsure/ NA%
Controlling crime	16	54	24	7
Improving the local economy	13	55	27	6
Reducing poverty and homelessness	7	40	37	16
Reducing traffic congestion	7	29	61	3
Planning growth and development	15	38	35	12
Improving the environment	21	45	27	7
Improving ethics in government	17	27	49	8
Keeping taxes low	5	37	54	4
Improving the efficiency of local government	15	40	36	9
Improving the academic performance of our children	28	35	26	11
Improving the overall quality of life in our County	19	60	17	3

Spring 2014

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

Unsure, no answer%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

57

42

2

Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

36

63

1

Facing the possibility of unemployment

16

82

2

Found a new or better job recently

14

85

2

Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts

26

71

3

Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss

4

96

0

Unable to find affordable housing

10

88

2

Hard to afford the cost of transportation

24

75

1

Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas

37

62

1

Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car

43

56

1

Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate

26

71

4

Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

65

32

3

Spring 2014
Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by
saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Unsure/NA%

Economic growth

30

49

15

6

Unemployment

30

39

25

6

Inflation

10

34

52

5

Your personal financial situation

25

59

13

3

Sprin 2014

I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland, and in the United States generally.
First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?
How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent%

Good%

Only fair%

Poor%

Unsure/Don’t know%

County

8

42

40

9

3

State

4

36

40

18

2

Nation

1

20

41

37

1

Fall 2014

I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland, and in the United States generally.
First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?
How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent %

Good%

Only fair%

Poor%

Unsure/Don’t know%

County

4

40

41

12

2

State

1

27

40

30

2

Nation

1

15

42

40

2

Fall 2014
Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

Unsure, no answer%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

63

32

4

Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

33

63

4

Facing the possibility of unemployment

17

78

5

Found a new or better job recently

12

83

5

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

33

66

2

Hard to afford the cost of education

45

51

4

Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate

40

55

5

Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

74

23

3

FALL 2014

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions
by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Unsure/NA%

Economic growth

30

43

19

8

Unemployment

32

38

24

6

Inflation

12

30

50

8

Your personal financial situation

25

53

18

5

Spring 2015

Next I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland,
and in the United States generally. First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County --
excellent, good, only fair, or poor? How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent%

Good%

Only fair%

Poor%

Unsure/Don’t know%

County

5

52

33

7

5

State

3

38

39

16

4

Nation

3

24

32

37

4

Spring 2015

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether
any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies %

Doesn’t Apply%

Unsure, no answer%

   Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

57

36

6

    Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

37

58

5

Facing the possibility of unemployment

12

83

5

Found a new or better job recently

11

84

5

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

31

67

1

Hard to afford the cost of education

41

53

6

Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate

38

58

4

Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

66

28

6

Spring 2015

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the
following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Unsure/NA%

Economic growth

39

45

10

6

Unemployment

37

42

16

5

Inflation

13

39

39

9

Your personal financial situation

25

58

13

4

Fall 2015

Next I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland, and in the United States generally. First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor? How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent%

Good%

Only fair%

Poor%

Unsure/Don’t know%

County

7

57

27

6

3

State

2

43

41

11

3

Nation

1

20

40

36

3

Fall 2015

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies %

Doesn’t apply %

Don’t know %

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

54

43

3

  Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

34

65

1

Facing the possibility of unemployment

12

83

4

Found a new or better job recently

13

86

1

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

28

71

1

Hard to afford the cost of education

39

57

4

Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

62

32

6

Fall 2015

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Don’t Know%

Economic growth

28

52

12

7

Unemployment

28

48

18

7

Inflation

9

42

43

7

Your personal financial situation

22

60

13

5

Spring 2016

I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland, and in the United States generally. First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor? How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent%

Good%

Only fair%

Poor%

Unsure/Don’t know%

County

8

57

27

5

4

State

5

48

36

9

3

Nation

1

23

40

34

2

Spring 2016

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

Don’t know%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

58

40

3

  Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

32

66

2

Facing the possibility of unemployment

9

87

4

Found a new or better job recently

10

89

2

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

30

67

2

Hard to afford the cost of education

39

59

2

Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

59

35

6

Health insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate

38

60

2

Spring 2016

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Don’t Know%

Economic growth

28

50

13

10

Unemployment

24

46

20

10

Inflation

7

43

43

8

Your personal financial situation

17

63

14

6

Fall 2016

I would like to know how you would rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County, in Maryland, and in the United States generally. First how would you rate economic conditions in Anne Arundel County -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor? How about the state? How about the nation?

Excellent%

Good%

Only fair%

Poor%

Unsure/Don’t know%

County

8

52

34

3

4

State

5

44

39

9

3

Nation

1

19

38

40

3

Fall 2016
Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

Don’t know%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

57

39

4

   Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

29

69

3

   Facing the possibility of unemployment

11

85

4

Found a new or better job recently

8

90

2

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

29

69

2

Hard to afford the cost of education

40

58

2

  Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

61

32

7

Health insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate

14

84

2

F2016

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Don’t Know%

Economic growth

31

46

13

10

Unemployment

25

46

19

10

Inflation

10

38

43

10

Your personal financial situation

20

61

14

5

Sp 2017

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

Don’t know%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

55

42

3

Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

31

63

6

Facing the possibility of unemployment

14

77

9

Found a new or better job recently

10

84

6

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

27

71

3

Hard to afford the cost of education

38

57

6

Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided

57

34

9

Health insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate

16

82

3

Spring 2017

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better%

Same%

Worse%

Don’t Know%

Economic growth

35

46

14

5

Unemployment

33

37

22

8

Inflation

13

31

46

10

Your personal financial situation

22

59

14

5

Fall 2017

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

NA/DK%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

49

47

5

Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

26

70

4

Facing the possibility of unemployment

11

84

5

Found a new or better job recently

10

87

3

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

25

73

2

Hard to afford the cost of education

33

61

5

Taxes are too high compared to the value of government services provided

55

36

8

Unable to afford healthcare or medicine during the last year

18

81

2

Fall 2017

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better %

Same%

Worse%

NA/DK%

Economic growth

37

47

10

7

Unemployment

35

43

12

10

Inflation

10

43

39

8

Your personal financial situation

20

63

12

5

Spring 2018

Thinking now about your personal circumstances, please tell me whether any of these economic conditions apply to you or your household.

Applies%

Doesn’t apply%

NA/DK%

Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living

49

47

4

Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently

41

56

3

Facing the possibility of unemployment

8

88

5

Found a new or better job recently

13

84

3

Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries

24

74

2

Hard to afford the cost of education

32

63

6

Taxes are too high compared to the value of government services provided

58

35

8

Unable to afford healthcare or medicine during the last year

18

79

2

Spring 2018

Thinking about the next twelve months and the county’s economy, please answer the following questions by saying whether a particular condition will be better, the same or worse:

Better

Same

Worse

Unsure/DK

Economic growth

33

47

11

9

Unemployment

33

46

12

9

Inflation

10

32

47

11

Your personal financial situation

24

59

12

5

Problem	Check One
Crime
Drugs (illegal drugs, use, sale)
Growth/overpopulation-too much development
Traffic congestion/problems
Education, problems with schools
Taxes – too high
Inefficient government, wasteful spending
Corruption in government/ politicians are bad
Environment (air, water pollution, save Bay)
Economy – no jobs, high cost of living, businesses closing	See Below
Other answer:___________________________________
Unsure/No Answer

Anne Arundel County: Most important problems => ECONOMY
Date	Percent citing
Fall 95	5
Spring 96	5
Fall 96	4
Spring 97	4
Fall 97	1
Spring 98	2
Fall 98	2
Spring 99	2
Fall 99	3
Spring 2000	3
Fall2000	2
Spring 2001	4
Fall 2001	3
Spring 2002	5
Fall 2002	3
Spring 2003	14
Fall 2003	8
Spring 2004	12
Fall 2004	8
Spring 2005	7
Fall 2005	7
Spring 2006	15
Fall 2006	7
Spring 2007	8
Fall 2007	4
Spring 2008	20
Fall 2008	36
Spring 2009	45
Fall 2009	31
Spring 2010	34
Fall 2010	36
Spring 2011	35
Fall 2011	48
Spring 2012	30
Fall 2012	27
Spring 2013	23
Fall 2013	16
Spring 2014	16
Fall 2014	18
Spring 2015	12
Fall 2015	12
Spring 2016	11
Fall 2016	10
Spring 2017	6
Fall 2017	4
Spring 2018	6

Good/service	Within County Location%	Out of County Location%	Mail Catalog or TV%	Internet %	Other%	Cases
Clothes	84	9	5	0	1	423
Groceries	97	4	0	0	0	427
Furniture	74	24	1	1	1	410
Major appliances such as washing machine or television	91	8	1	0	1	420
Computer equipment	68	14	6	9	2	395
Automobile	70	26	0	2	2	407
Travel services like airline tickets or hotel reservations	46	21	2	25	5	385
Legal services	79	19	0	1	2	388
Educational services such as private schools	77	18	0	1	4	335
Tax or Accounting services	75	21	0	1	3	399
Dining or entertainment	82	17	0	0	1	416

Reason	Applies	Does not apply	Cases
Better service	73%	27%	130
Helps support the community	85	13	131
Prices are lower	29	71	130
Greater convenience	76	24	130
Don't like shopping at large chain stores	39	61	128

Approach	Support %	Oppose%	Unsure/NA%	Cases
Increasing the corporate income tax rate by 1 percent	63	35	2	379
Postponing fully funding the Thornton Plan for public education	32	47	20	376
Creating a $2.50 surcharge on monthly sewage fees to help upgrade waste water treatment plants	65	31	4	377
Placing a 3 percent surcharge on the income tax of people who make $500,000 or more annually	73	26	1	375
Reducing salaries of state employees	14	81	5	375
Cutting back on state services	16	77	7	372
Reducing financial support for higher education	18	78	4	373
Legalizing slot machines in Maryland	62	33	6	375
Holding a referendum on whether to have slot machines	68	27	5	369
Increasing the state sales tax by 1 percent, from 5 to 6 percent	31	66	2	376
Would you be more or less inclined to support a one cent increase in the sales tax if you knew that the additional revenue only went to support education	More 72	Less 23	(3) No change 4 (0) no answer 1	371

	Excellent %	Good%	Only Fair%	Poor%	Don’t Know %
Spring 1998	10	68	21	1	0
Spring 2001	10	65	23	1	1
Fall 2001	14	64	17	1	5
Spring 2002	13	60	21	4	1
Fall 2002	6	60	27	4	3
Spring 2003	5	50	36	6	2
Fall 2003	5	51	34	9	0
Spring 2004	7	55	32	4	2
Fall 2004	9	65	22	4	1
Spring 2005	12	62	22	3	2
Fall 2005	15	56	22	6	1
Spring 2006	14	60	23	2	1
Fall 2006	9	62	23	3	3
Spring 2007	12	59	22	4	3
Fall 2007	10	59	25	5	1
Spring 2008	6	49	36	8	2
Fall 2008	6	43	37	12	2
Spring 2009	2	44	43	10	2
Fall 2009	4	44	38	11	3
Spring 2010	3	41	41	13	2
Fall 2010	3	42	45	8	2
Spring 2011	3	46	38	12	2
Fall 2011	4	44	40	11	2
Spring 2012	2	49	37	11	1
Fall 2012	5	43	39	12	2
Spring 2013	3	46	38	11	3
Fall 2013	6	47	35	10	3
Spring 2014	8	42	40	9	3
Fall 2014	4	40	41	12	2
Spring 2015	5	52	33	7	5
Fall 2015	7	57	27	6	3
Spring 2016	8	57	27	5	4
Fall 2016	8	52	34	3	4
Spring 2017	6	60	28	3	3
Fall 2017	9	62	25	1	3
Spring 2018	10	58	27	2	3

Problem	Gotten better %	Stayed about the same %	Gotten worse%	Cases
Controlling crime	30	54	16	416
Improving the local economy	43	46	10	412
Reducing poverty and homelessness	18	58	24	334
Reducing traffic congestion	15	16	70	424
Planning growth and development	25	30	45	393
Improving the environment	35	39	26	398
Improving ethics in government	20	50	30	368
Keeping taxes low	15	59	26	406
Improving the efficiency of local government	18	54	28	380
Reducing the backlog in school maintenance and repair	24	26	51	315
Improving the academic performance of our children	27	34	39	367
Improving the overall quality of life in our County	34	52	14	405

	Better %	About the same %	Worse %	Unsure %	No answer %	N
Traffic congestion	6	8	86	0	0	352
Local taxes	5	22	69	2	1	352
Crime	15	37	45	2	1	352
Public schools	30	32	34	4	1	352
Ethics in local government	18	46	28	6	2	351
Growth and development	28	23	44	5	1	349
Water and air quality	16	28	53	2	1	350
Health care	21	36	37	5	1	348
Economic conditions	35	34	26	4	1	347
Family life	32	44	19	3	1	350
Spiritual or religious life	31	48	12	6	4	347
General responsiveness of County government to citizens’ needs	20	50	26	2	2	352
The overall quality of life in the County	35	45	18	1	0	351

	Better %	About the same %	Worse %	Unsure %	No answer %	Cases
Traffic congestion	3	5	92	0	0	303
Local taxes	5	26	64	5	1	302
Crime	11	42	42	4	1	301
Public schools	28	28	36	7	1	300
Ethics in local government	20	44	26	9	2	301
Growth and development	30	20	46	3	1	300
Water and air quality	17	32	49	2	1	300
Health care	24	32	36	8	1	301
Economic conditions	33	40	23	3	1	299
Family life	27	45	20	5	2	299
Spiritual or religious life	27	47	15	7	4	299
General responsiveness of County government to citizens’ needs	23	47	20	8	1	299
The overall quality of life in the County	33	43	20	3	1	301

Program or service mentioned	Percent
Schools, teachers’ salaries, school-based programs	24
Police	18
Fire department, Emergency Medical Services	15
Roads, mass transit	9
Child services (daycare subsidies, juvenile justice)	7
Staffing problems within government	7
Seniors services	5
Mental health services	3
College tuition	2
MVA	2
Other	3

Approach	Favor %	Oppose %	Unsure %
An increase in state income taxes	26	72	3
An increase in the state gasoline tax	29	69	2
An increase in the general sales tax	46	53	2
Governor Ehrlich’s veto of a package closing corporate loopholes	47	32	20
Increasing the County’s local income tax rate	24	72	5
Creating specific taxes to fund County public safety such as fire & police	53	43	5
Re-examining the property tax revenue cap formula in AA County	54	38	8
Increasing impact fees on new housing development in AA County	65	30	5
Paying a toll to use less crowded freeway lanes	47	50	4
The elimination of many vacant state and County jobs	67	27	6
Layoffs of state and County employees	26	69	6

Approach	Support %	Oppose %	Unsure/NA %	Cases
A five-cent increase in the state gasoline tax	17	82	2	372
A $25 increase in annual vehicle registration fees	38	59	4	371
An additional $50 added to speeding or other moving violation fines	64	33	3	372
A ban on taking money out of the trust fund unless used for transportation only.	65	24	11	373

Service	Same	More %	Less %	Don’t know %	Cases
Libraries	67	26	6	1	369
Fire	43	53	2	2	370
Police	35	60	4	1	370
Community college	44	46	7	3	369
Roads	49	43	6	3	369
Planning and zoning	42	13	39	7	369
Social services	43	34	17	5	368
Health department	54	32	9	5	368
Public schools	23	71	5	1	368
Parks and recreation	57	26	16	2	368
Seniors’ services	45	44	7	4	369
Environmental programs	44	39	15	2	369
Average percentage	46	41	11	3	369

	Very serious %	Somewhat Serious %	Not very serious %	No answer %
The cost of housing N=400	65	23	11	0
The cost of gasoline N=400	62	30	8	0
The cost of utilities such as electricity or natural gas N=399	63	29	8	0
The cost of property taxes N=392	49	37	12	2
The cost of health care N=391	58	28	11	2
The cost of education N=378	51	29	16	5
Not having enough money for retirement N=390	57	24	16	3

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure, no answer %
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	56	42	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	11	87	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	6	93	1
Unable to find affordable housing	21	78	2
Hard to afford cost of transportation	40	58	2
Hard to afford cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	61	37	2
Hard to afford cost of taxes	47	49	4
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	35	63	2

	Support%	Oppose%	Unsure %	No answer %
A $500 ambulance fee to help pay for county services?	26	67	6	1
Creating or increasing fees to sports leagues that use public parks to cover the maintenance of those parks?	50	45	4	1
Increasing impact fees on new construction in our county?	63	31	5	1
Increasing the tax on hotel stays from 7 percent to 10 percent	33	59	6	1
Efforts by police to identify illegal immigrants and refer them to federal immigration services?	70	25	4	1
Environmental measures meant to restrict development in critical areas?	84	11	3	1
Decreasing the drinking age to 18	29	68	2	1

Service	Reduced%	Kept the same%	Increased%	Don’t know%
Libraries	8	64	26	2
Fire department	2	50	46	2
Police department	5	41	53	1
The community college	6	49	41	4
Roads	10	51	39	1
Planning and Zoning	29	49	13	9
Social Services	16	45	35	4
Health Department	13	46	34	6
Public Schools	6	35	58	2
Parks and Recreation	17	59	22	3
Seniors’ services	7	52	39	3
Environmental Oversight	18	47	31	4

Approach	County%	State%
Cut Programs	61	60
Raise taxes	17	18
Some other approach or “both” (volunteered)	14	14
Don't know	08	08

Approach	Applies %
Cut government services	27
Raise taxes	8
Some of both	55
Some other approach	6
Don't know	5

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure, no answer %
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	59	39	2
Facing the possibility of unemployment	15	84	1
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	71	27	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	4	95	1
Unable to find affordable housing	11	88	1
Hard to afford cost of transportation	32	67	1
Hard to afford cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	50	49	1
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	30	69	1
Taxes are too high relative to what is received from government services such as education, roads and safety.	58	37	4

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	55	42	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	24	73	3
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	70	29	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	8	91	2
Unable to find affordable housing	13	84	3
Hard to afford cost of transportation	17	80	3
Hard to afford cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	42	57	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	46	52	3
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	33	64	3
Taxes are too high relative to what is received from government services such as education, roads and safety.	59	37	4

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	56	41	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	21	77	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	60	39	2
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	7	92	1
Unable to find affordable housing	10	89	1
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	24	74	2
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	43	55	2
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	44	54	2
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	34	62	4
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	60	35	5

Providing enough jobs	16%
Providing proper skills/education for workers	12%
Managing growth/development	8%
Providing adequate services such as police and fire	2%
Keeping taxes low	7%
Providing affordable housing	3%
Having enough infrastructure, roads	7%
Improving the business climate	2%
No answer	0%
Balancing the county budget (less spending, more revenues)	18%
BRAC	1%
Environment	3%
Healthcare	2%
County Workers	1%
Pensions	2%
Other Housing	2%
Crime	1%
Cost of Living	3%
Illegal Immigrants	2%
Slots	1%

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	Unsure/Don’t know
County	3	46	38	11	3
State	1	29	41	24	4
Nation	2	10	38	47	3

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	Unsure, no answer%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	57	42	2
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	36	63	1
Facing the possibility of unemployment	16	82	2
Found a new or better job recently	14	85	2
Significant losses in your stock or retirement accounts	26	71	3
Facing the possibility of house foreclosure or loss	4	96	0
Unable to find affordable housing	10	88	2
Hard to afford the cost of transportation	24	75	1
Hard to afford the cost of utilities such as electricity or gas	37	62	1
Delay in making a major purchase such as a home or car	43	56	1
Health care insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	26	71	4
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	65	32	3

	Better%	Same%	Worse%	Unsure/NA%
Economic growth	30	49	15	6
Unemployment	30	39	25	6
Inflation	10	34	52	5
Your personal financial situation	25	59	13	3

	Excellent%	Good%	Only fair%	Poor%	Unsure/Don’t know%
County	8	42	40	9	3
State	4	36	40	18	2
Nation	1	20	41	37	1

	Applies %	Doesn’t apply %	Don’t know %
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	54	43	3
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	34	65	1
Facing the possibility of unemployment	12	83	4
Found a new or better job recently	13	86	1
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	28	71	1
Hard to afford the cost of education	39	57	4
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	62	32	6

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	Don’t know%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	58	40	3
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	32	66	2
Facing the possibility of unemployment	9	87	4
Found a new or better job recently	10	89	2
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	30	67	2
Hard to afford the cost of education	39	59	2
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	59	35	6
Health insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	38	60	2

Program or service mentioned

Program or service mentioned

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	Don’t know%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	57	39	4
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	29	69	3
Facing the possibility of unemployment	11	85	4
Found a new or better job recently	8	90	2
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	29	69	2
Hard to afford the cost of education	40	58	2
Taxes are too high in relation to government services provided	61	32	7
Health insurance is unavailable, too expensive or inadequate	14	84	2

	Applies%	Doesn’t apply%	NA/DK%
Wages or salaries are not rising as fast as the cost of living	49	47	5
Received a salary increase or other increase in income recently	26	70	4
Facing the possibility of unemployment	11	84	5
Found a new or better job recently	10	87	3
Hard to afford the cost of food and groceries	25	73	2
Hard to afford the cost of education	33	61	5
Taxes are too high compared to the value of government services provided	55	36	8
Unable to afford healthcare or medicine during the last year	18	81	2

	Better	Same	Worse	Unsure/DK
Economic growth	33	47	11	9
Unemployment	33	46	12	9
Inflation	10	32	47	11
Your personal financial situation	24	59	12	5