THE GROWTH REVOLT IN THE SUBURBS: A NEW POLITICAL MOVEMENT?

This paper examines the suburban public's support for slowing down development in their communities. The major source of data is the Orange County, California, Annual Survey. We analyze attitude shifts over time leading up to the growth revolt, the suburban public's growth policy preferences and the factors contributing to support for slowing development. The findings indicate that increasing concerns about traffic and other local problems have led a large majority of the public to favor slowing down growth in their areas. The slow growth preference is best predicted by perceptions of a declining quality of community life rather than political and demographic factors. Further, support for slow growth can be replicated in other surveys. The evidence suggests that the growth revolt, indeed, has broad relevance and many political implications. The paper concludes by considering some of the difficulties for this new political movement in gaining voter support for local slow growth initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]