News

Media Contact

Mimi Ko Cruz
Director of Communications
(949) 824-1278
mkcruz@uci.edu

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.

Read more from the School of Social Ecology here.

How Orange County’s diverse electorate shaped the 2024 election

The county’s White voters were most likely to vote for Trump, while Asian voters moved more to the left and Latinos to the center.

Read more from the Orange County Register here.

OC voter poll highlights economy as key issue in 2024 election

For many Orange County voters, the 2024 election boiled down to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

A psychological concept that outlines five levels of human needs, Maslow’s hierarchy argues basic necessities like food, housing and financial stability take precedence over abstract ideas.

Latest UCI Poll explains November election results

In last month’s general election, Orange County voters picked Democrat Kamala Harris for president and Republican Steve Garvey for Senate, as well as Democrat Dave Min for the 47th Congressional District and Michelle Steele for the 45th.

Produced by the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, the latest UCI-OC Poll solidifies the county’s “purple” status, with its voters evenly split – 31 percent Democrat, 31 percent Republican, 28 percent independent and 10 percent other.

Read more from the School of Social Ecology here.

Economy was the biggest driver for Orange County voters in 2024, poll finds

The majority of 838 Orange County voters surveyed a week after Election Day by UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology indicated the economy was a key issue that determined how they voted …. “When we asked people to name the No. 1 issue, this (the economy) was it,” said Jon Gould, dean of UCI’s School of Social Ecology, which oversaw the survey. “Over and above everything. Head and shoulders above everything.”

Read more from the Orange County Register here.

OC leader board: Ending homelessness in Orange County: We know what works

According to The UCI-OC Poll, 52% of renters surveyed were worried about how they were going to pay rent and feared evictions. The high cost of housing is the main driver of homelessness, and many people are living paycheck to paycheck. … At the time of the [School of Social Ecology-commissioned] study, Orange County spent $299 million per year addressing health, housing, law enforcement and other issues related to homelessness, according to UCI sociologists Dr. David Snow and Dr. Rachel Goldberg, who conducted the county’s first cost study on homelessness.

Read more from the Orange County Business Journal here.

Why Donald Trump still could not conquer Orange County

A UC Irvine poll released last year conveyed discord among Orange County voters, particularly Republicans and those who choose not to identify with a political party, who said despite their optimism about Orange County and somewhat about California, they did not have a good feeling about the future of America. “The [election] results are much more a statement about people’s dissatisfaction with the current national administration than some grand statement about Trump or Republicans,” said Jon Gould, dean of the university’s School of Social Ecology. “This is not a sign that Orange County is suddenly a red county,” Gould said. “This is exactly what it means to be a purple county.”

Read more from the LA Times here.

In November election, OC earned its purple cred

This kind of ticket-splitting, among other factors, makes O.C. one the purplest counties in the U.S., said Jon Gould at the University of California, Irvine. Gould said O.C., with its shifting demographics, and especially its large population of non-white, college-educated voters, is a glimpse of where the nation is headed. “What you’re seeing here that I think we will all be looking at is a harbinger for the future of the rest of America,” he said.

OC has strong economy, but housing remains persistent issue, annual community indicators report finds

Jon Gould, UC Irvine School of Social Ecology dean, said the county is one of the best in the state at educating its population, but there’s a lurking issue of brain drain – workers leaving to surrounding counties or other areas where it’s cheaper to live. … A recent poll conducted by the social ecology school found that half of OC renters worry about being evicted and 20% of homeowners are worried about foreclosure, Gould said. Two-thirds of people surveyed leaving the county go to nearby areas such as eastern Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire or eastern San Diego County, Gould said.

Read more from the Orange County Register here.

Vote counting continues in Orange County, where all eyes are on the race for Congress District 45

Michele Gile reports from Santa Ana, where the vote counting process continued on Wednesday. Even with it being weeks after the election, the tedious process remains ongoing all at the same time that the nation is watching one of the closest races for Congress in California’s 45th District. “If, in fact, this seat goes to Derek Tran, the reason is going to be because we’ve seen the Vietnamese community in the 45thDistrict move a little bit farther to the left. That would be mirroring some trends that we thought we saw in the primary and it might portend bigger effects later on into the next two congresses,” says Jon B. Gould, Dean of the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology.

Watch a recap from KCBS/KCAL here.

Nearly 40% of CA voters backed Trump so far: See county shifts, trends

In another upset for Democrats at a local level, a predominantly Latino community in Southern California — Santa Ana — rejected a measure that would have allowed noncitizens to vote in local races. “This is kind of in line with trends we’ve been seeing in both polling and elections of the Latino community getting more conservative on issues of immigration,” said Jon Gould, dean of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine.

Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races

Santa Ana, a predominantly Latino community, had more votes for Vice President Kamala Harris than President-elect Donald Trump. Experts say the rejection of the measure may indicate that voters, especially Latino voters, are shifting their attitudes about immigration. “This is kind of in line with trends we’ve been seeing in both polling and elections of the Latino community getting more conservative on issues of immigration,” said Jon Gould, dean of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine.

Read more from the Associated Press here.

Control of Congress could be determined by these Orange County congressional races

“In many ways we are the Bellwether County for this election because what happens in our 47th congressional district and 45th congressional district may very well determine who controls congress,” said Jon Gould, dean at the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology. … UC Irvine conducted a poll after the March primary that asked about 800 voters how Orange County will vote, the results showed it is the county to watch.

In Orange County, a divided district reflects a divided country

The split between the two cities could be explained by a gap in educational attainment, which Jon Gould, dean of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, called the most important demarcation in OC politics. Over 72% of Irvine residents hold college degrees, compared to around 44% in Huntington Beach. … “We’re seeing this diploma divide actually overtake, in many instances, race and ethnicity as driving behavior,” said Mike Madrid [Senior fellow, School of Social Ecology].

Which party controls the House could be determined by deeply blue California

I talked to University of California, Irvine dean [of Social Ecology] Jon Gould. He does a lot of polling on those swing district voters in Orange County, including a lot of Republicans. JON GOULD: Who at a congressional level think Republican but at a presidential level are put off by Trump and the election denialism and January 6 and some of the social issues that they don’t agree with him or the party on, particularly on abortion.

Learn more from Wyoming Public Radio here.

Two weeks out from Election Day, where do the closest House races in OC stand?

Out of the six that touch Orange County, three in particular are close heading into an election where next year’s control of the House is relatively uncertain. “Most of the districts … were cut in a way so that they are competitive,” said Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology. “They have a variety of voters from all sides of the aisle.”

Read more from the Orange County Register here.

College divide erodes democrats’ support from black and hispanic voters

“College education is becoming a bigger factor than race and ethnicity,” said Mike Madrid, a GOP strategist and senior fellow at the University of California, Irvine’s, School of Social Ecology, who reviewed the Journal’s findings.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal here.

Opinion: This election season, every vote is about housing

[Affordable housing] is among the top of issues voters raise with their candidates. Recent polling by UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology suggests that it is. The 2023 UCI Poll in OC found Affordable Housing and Homelessness as the top issues of concern for OC residents. This year’s poll showed that 51% of the respondents have thought about leaving Orange County, and 78% said the reason was the cost of housing.

Read more from the Orange County Register here.

Half of Orange County considers move, weighs prices vs. quality of life

Survey from UC Irvine finds most residents satisfied and optimistic. But housing costs and few jobs for people without degrees could result in an exodus.

Read more from The Orange County Register here.

More than a third of OC residents are considering moving: poll

A recent poll by UC Irvine researchers found that more than a third of Orange County residents are actively thinking about moving, with the high costs of housing, food, and gas as the main reasons people want to leave.

OC residents look for cheaper housing, but where?

More than a third of people living in Orange County are thinking about relocating somewhere else because of the high cost of living, according to a new UC Irvine Poll.

Listen to the podcast from KCRW here.

Half of Orange County’s residents hope to move, survey finds

The county’s population has had no major drop recently, but recent sentiment suggests a ‘strong storm brewing,’ said a UCI dean behind the poll.

“These numbers are most concentrated among residents under 40, women, non-white residents, and those without a college education,” according to the survey.

Latest UCI-OC Poll finds residents considering relocation

Half of Orange County’s residents have or are considering relocation, according to the latest UCI-OC Poll. The poll, run by the University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology, surveyed 1,100 current and former Orange County residents to find out why they left, why they may be considering leaving and what can be done to attract and retain residents and skilled employees.

Read more from the School of Social Ecology here.

‘We just can’t afford to live here.’ Housing costs are driving people out of Orange County, poll says.

More than a third of Orange County residents are actively considering moving away, a UC Irvine poll found. The high costs of housing and basic necessities are top reasons.

OC World guest host Gaddi Vasquez explores a recent Orange County poll

Join OC World guest host Gaddi Vasquez as he explores a recent Orange County poll conducted by UCI’s School of Social Ecology. Discover how the votes of Latino/Hispanic and Asian communities in Orange County could well shape the next election. Guests: Jon Gould, dean UC Irvine School of Social Ecology and senior fellow Mike Madrid.

Watch the video here.

A California toss-up seat could help determine control of the House. Asian Americans could steer the vote.

A district in Orange County, California, is set to be one of the most competitive national races in the fight to control the House of Representatives. But the November matchup between Democrat Dave Min and Republican Scott Baugh is notable for another reason: It’s one of the few toss-up seats over which Asian American voters hold an outsize influence.

California’s 47th Congressional District, where Asian American and Pacific Islanders make up a quarter of the population, has repeatedly flipped from Democrats to Republicans over the past decade. With the electorate nearly evenly divided between both parties, candidates are actively courting the AAPI population ahead of November’s election.

Berkeley falls into House GOP crosshairs

ORANGE COUNTY: Orange County would re-elect President Joe Biden if the election was held today, a UC Irvine poll [from the School of Social Ecology] shows. But residents who aren’t registered to vote are also more likely to be Donald Trump supporters. (The Orange County Register)

Column: Watch your step, Democrats. O.C.’s purple shine hides a red underbelly

In 2016, my beloved homeland of Orange County shocked political observers by favoring Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, the first time we went with a Democrat for president since FDR.

In 2018, O.C. voters made history yet again when we sent an all-Democratic congressional delegation to Capitol Hill. The following year, more people in O.C. were registered Democrats than Republicans — another first.

Read more from the LA Times here.

Could Orange County help determine the balance of power in Congress?

Some Orange County residents are skeptical of election results, poll finds

A UC Irvine School of Social Ecology poll released last month offers some new insights into the electoral role that will be played by this purple county, which is almost evenly split between Democrats at 33%, Republicans, 32%, and Independents, 35%. My colleague Hannah Fry reported on some of the key poll findings.

Read more from the LA Times here.

Trump has never won a general election in OC. That may be due to election skepticism, a new poll finds

Former President Donald Trump may need to court Orange County residents who aren’t yet registered to vote if he wants to win the county in November.

If those 357,000 or so eligible voters register by the Oct. 21 deadline to participate in Election Day, Trump might be able to pull ahead of President Joe Biden in Orange County. But if the election were held today, Biden would beat Trump by eight points, according to a UC Irvine poll released this month.

Read more from The Orange County Register here.

Political impact of the college protests over the war in Gaza

Police on Tuesday arrested dozens of protesters at Columbia University, while protests continue at campuses throughout Southern California.

“Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh is joined by Mike Madrid, political strategist and senior fellow at the UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology, to discuss the growing protests on college campuses, their political impact and historical implications.

Watch the entire video here.

Orange County now politically purple

Orange County was once dominantly republican, voting for the GOP candidate in every president election between 1940 and 2012 but in recent years the district has shifted left. Jon Gould, dean of UCI School of Social Ecology, talks about the political shift.

Watch now on Fox 11 here.

Many O.C. residents deny Trump election results, potentially swaying key races, poll finds

Alex Lopez doesn’t contest that Joe Biden was elected president in 2020.

His concern lies with how those results came to be.

“By the numbers? He absolutely won it. Ethically? Probably not,” said the 38-year-old Anaheim resident, who works as a logistics coordinator.

Questions about the integrity of the election process have been stoked nationally for years, in large part because of former President Trump’s claims that victory was stolen from him.

Read more from the LA Times here.

Latest poll finds OC residents keep friendships despite politics

“PURPLE” COUNTY OFFERS MODEL FOR CONSENSUS

Even in a divisive time, most Orange County residents don’t break up friendships over political differences, according to the latest UCI-OC Poll.

The survey, sponsored by UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology, asked respondents if they’ve ever ended a friendship over a political disagreement and 79% did not. In fact, the majority have close friends from across the aisle. And, only one-third report that most of their close friends share similar political views

Read more from the School of Social Ecology here.

What does Orange County’s presidential primary data suggest about Biden and Trump’s chances?

More Orange County voters cast ballots for former President Donald Trump in the primary election than for President Joe Biden — but political experts say that doesn’t exactly spell trouble for the incumbent president.

Trump received the most votes in Orange County, 236,456, of the nearly 40 people on the presidential primary ballot, ahead of Biden only by about 18,500 votes.

Read more from The Orange County Register here.

Asian and Latino voters could decide competitive Congressional races in Orange County – KNX News On Demand

KNX News Chief Correspondent Charles Feldman looks into how Latino and Asian voters could play a major role in four highly competitive Congressional races in Orange County. Charles talks to Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology. He led a new poll called “Red County, Blue County, Orange County.” Read more here.

Purple predictions

LATEST UCI-OC POLL FINDS ORANGE COUNTY COULD FORECAST UPCOMING ELECTIONS

Orange County has become a prism for understanding the relationship between the left and right in American political and cultural life. It is one of America’s few “purple” counties, where 51% of voters supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, and while Joe Biden won the county in 2020, Republican Brian Dahle beat incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom among OC voters in 2022. Read more here.

Wealthier Asian American and Latino voters in Orange County may be pivotal in upcoming elections

Robert Baca’s political compass has always pointed toward the Republican Party, but lately he hasn’t felt as at home in the GOP.

Though he voted for Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections, Baca distances himself from the culture wars that seem to fire up today’s die-hard Republicans. Instead, he wants Washington to tackle the turbulent economy and rising costs of daily life. Read more from the Los Angeles Times here.

Can public opinion reduce homelessness in Orange County? Experts say it might

This spring, when asked by pollsters from UC Irvine to rank the biggest problems facing Orange County, local residents listed homelessness 71% of the time and a related issue, lack of affordable housing, 69% of the time. Read more from the Orange County Register here.

UCI-OC Poll finds homelessness, affordable housing top resident concerns

More than 100 policymakers, community leaders and researchers met on campus Thursday to craft solutions for Orange County’s top concerns: homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in the county. Read more here.

(Full video replay here.)

School of Social Ecology, Orange County United Way present 2023 UCI-OC Poll findings

Researchers, policymakers and community leaders will discuss Orange County’s homelessness and housing issues as they unveil the findings of the 2023 UCI-OC Poll.

WHEN/WHERE: 3-5 p.m. Thursday, Aug.17, at the Cove at UCI, 5270 California Ave., Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92617. Learn more here.

UC Irvine poll: Homelessness, affordable housing top concerns in OC

Locals of all political stripes view the related problems as critical. The school wants to help politicians, nonprofits and others come up with solutions. Read more here.