OC prefers offering legal status to undocumented

Orange County residents are not supportive of President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans, according to the latest UCI-OC Poll.

Nearly 60 percent of residents overall would prefer an option for the undocumented to obtain legal status, the survey finds. But, significant differences exist between generations and between Latino and white residents. While almost half of white respondents support deportation, nearly three-quarters of Latino residents prefer an option for legal status. And, residents under 40 strongly prefer legal status over deportation, whereas those 55 and older are more supportive of deportation.

In an earlier release of the UCI-OC Poll, Latino voters were seen as drifting right in their political choices this past election. 

“Will deportations turn them against President Trump and Republicans?” asks Jon Gould, dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology, which runs the poll. “It is certainly a risk for the GOP. Immigration and its response may further widen clefts in the electorate and the community.”

As Trump prepares to be sworn in Monday to commence his second term, the poll finds that the OC views him negatively. 

The poll, which surveyed 838 residents following the November election, finds that 54 percent of respondents view him unfavorably, 43 percent of whom feel this strongly.

He’s not the only one viewed unfavorably. Fifty-one percent of OC residents view California Gov. Gavin Newsom unfavorably. 

“Negative attitudes toward national and state chief executives do not bode well for their ability to rally residents in support of new measures,” Gould says. “This is a pessimistic time, with a doubtful voter base in Orange County.”

Among other UCI-OC Poll results:

• OC residents are more afraid than relieved or hopeful from the November election results. 
• By wide margins, inflation and cost of living top residents’ concerns.
• Two-thirds of OC residents believe the nation’s economy is not doing well. 
• Only 20 percent of residents say their own economic situation is better today than it was four years ago, and half of residents believe they are not doing well economically. 
• Nearly half the renters in Orange County are concerned about their ability to cover rent. 
• One out of seven homeowners is worried about affording their mortgage. 
• A quarter of OC residents are struggling to afford housing.
• Nearly six in 10 OC residents believe that crime is high or very high.
• There is a generational difference in the perception of crime. Whereas most residents over the age of 25 had a similar view of the crime rate, those aged 18-24 generally thought it lower than others.

The latest poll is available for download.