Poll Discovers AIDS, Crime Fail to Spread Gloom in L.A.

Residents of the Los Angeles metropolitan area consider AIDS a major threat to society at large and fear they are due to become victims of crime, but most nonetheless hold a basic optimism about their lot in life, according to a new poll released Wednesday by UCLA.

At the same time, more than a third said they have less confidence in Washington’s ability to solve problems than five years ago and consider many government officials to be “crooked.”

The sense of foreboding about AIDS, which has claimed more than 31,000 lives in the United States, is backed by strong support for mandatory testing for the virus that leads to the disorder. About 70% of the 1,100 adults surveyed said they favor the idea of mandatory testing, and even more would favor testing of drug users and homosexual men, who are the predominant victims of AIDS.

It was the fourth year that the UCLA Institute for Social Science Research has surveyed area residents, but this was the first time that the questions on AIDS testing were included. Thus it was impossible to analyze the impact over time of the arguments by many AIDS experts and health officials that widespread mandatory testing could hurt efforts to stop the spread of AIDS.

In all, 79% said they consider AIDS a health threat to the general population, compared to only 56% when the question was asked in a survey two years ago. In an attempt to discover if that realization is reaching the privacy of examination rooms, the survey asked how many people had been asked about their sexual practices by a physician. Nearly 85% said that no doctor had ever mentioned the subject, although more than 87% had visited the doctor’s office in the last three years.

Despite the feeling of despair about AIDS, an overwhelming share of those polled--92%--said they personally feel healthier than others their own age. Nearly all rated their own health as good or excellent.

That sense of individual optimism was reflected throughout the poll, except when people were asked about crime and the economic outlook for the nation, said UCLA Prof. Marilynn B. Brewer, director of the institute that conducted the poll.

About 20% said they or someone in their home was a crime victim in the last year, but more than double--43%--said they consider it “likely” they will suffer some crime in the next year. About 78% also said they favor requiring a police permit for anyone wishing to purchase a gun.

“I assume that reflects a general feeling about safety on the streets,” Brewer said.

The telephone survey of a random sample was completed only Tuesday, Brewer said, and UCLA faculty members have not studied the answers fully enough to say how the fear of crime differs by area of the metropolitan region, or by such other factors as age and gender.

The poll was conducted in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties over four weeks, Brewer said, and is considered to have a margin of error of three percentage points in either direction. Along with their answers, those surveyed also provided interesting information about themselves.

About 70% are white, and about half said they own their own home. More than a third, 34.7%, said they live in a neighborhood where the ethnic makeup is shifting to a higher percentage of minorities, most often Latino and Asian.

About 64% said they carry a bank credit card, 42% subscribe to a cable or pay TV service, and 76% have a videocassette recorder in their home, compared to only 55% VCR owners in the survey two years ago.

In a show of optimism, 87% said they are satisfied with the work they do, and about 40% said they regard themselves as better off than a year ago. Yet more than 56% said they expect to do even better next year.

Their feeling of personal good fortune doesn’t extend to the nation, however. More than half said they expect the country to endure periods of high unemployment and even a depression in the next five years.

While they pointed to the national debt as a huge problem, a large share also said the government should spend more on environmental problems and Social Security, and 46% said defense spending should be cut, while 18% said more should be devoted to defense. “People want less spending, but they don’t want anything cut, except defense,” Brewer said.

Perhaps as a result, more than 72% said they are already interested in the political campaigns being conducted this year, and more than 80% said they plan to vote in the presidential election.

SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of 1988 Southern California Social Survey, asked of residents in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties. A telephone survey of 1,100 adults was conducted by the UCLA Institute for Social Science Research.

39% say they are better off financially than a year ago, 48% about the same, 12% worse off. But 56% say they expect to do better next year.

70% favor mandatory AIDS blood testing for some people, 23% oppose.

79% consider AIDS a serious health threat to the general population.

19.7% say they or a member of their household were crime victims in past year, but 43% say they believe it is likely they will become a victim in next year.

More than a third, 34.7%, say the ethnic makeup of their neighborhood is changing. While 18.7% say they are uncomfortable about it, the rest say they either do not mind or do not care.

Asked to grade their public schools, 33% gave a B, 27.4% a C, only 9.6% an A. 10% gave D’s and 4% gave F’s.

36.7% say they have less confidence in the federal government than 5 years ago, 47.9% about the same, 13.1% more confidence.

Asked how many people running government are crooked, 32.6% say a lot, 47.8% say some, 15.3% say not many, 1.5% say none.