Amid growing economic uncertainty, more than half of Anne Arundel County residents said their salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living and that they are facing difficulty in paying rising gas and electric charges, according to a poll released yesterday.
The economy surged to the top of respondents' concerns in the biannual survey conducted by Anne Arundel Community College, with nearly half -- 47 percent -- reporting that they are having difficulty affording $1.3 billion in state tax increases passed in November and fewer than ever indicating confidence in the county's economy.
Just over half of respondents (55 percent) consider the economic conditions in Anne Arundel County "good" or "excellent." That number is down by 14 percentage points from the college's fall survey.
In fact, 50 percent of respondents said the county was going in the right direction, the lowest measure of support in nine years. However, that was only a 1 percentage-point drop from the last poll in the fall. Students at the college's Center for the Study of Local Issues surveyed 419 residents from March 10 through Thursday. The poll has a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
"There is a frustration and a malaise engendered by the national stuff as well as anything local," said Dan Nataf, a political science professor who oversees the poll. But he noted: "By and large, the perception is positive" in Anne Arundel, especially compared with national polling data.
Among the wealthiest counties in Maryland, Anne Arundel is expecting several billions of dollars in development over the next several years, much of it spurred by the defense sector. Fort Meade is receiving an influx of 22,000 defense jobs over that period.
"The local economy is stable," Nataf said. "It's not really in decline in any cataclysmic way. ... But this is not to discount that there are people feeling real economic challenges."
According to the poll, 61 percent of respondents said they are having difficulty affording rising utility costs, and 56 percent said their salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living.
Other findings:
President Bush's job approval rating fell to 28 percent, a seven-point drop from the college's poll in October.
On the Iraq war, 47 percent favored the approach of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who say the United States "should get out of Iraq as soon as possible." Meanwhile, 39 percent favored the approach of leaving in "as many troops ... as necessary to ensure victory."
Asked to name the presidential candidate that respondents would most likely vote for, 46 percent supported Republican Sen. John McCain; 32 percent favored Obama; and 19 percent backed Clinton.
Seventy-nine percent supported a ban on drivers using cell phones in moving cars without a hands-free device.
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) said they would permit illegal immigrants to become legal residents under certain conditions; 49 percent favored deporting those immigrants and their families to their home countries; and 80 percent supported severely fining employers who knowingly hire such immigrants.
phill.mcgowan@baltsun.com