Pricey living in Orange County is driving people to consider someplace else as home.
A new poll released Friday, Aug. 8, found 41% of the people who either work in an office building, or split time out of their home, would bolt for someplace else if they got a remote job.
It’s an ominous trend that Jon Gould, dean of the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine and director of the UCI-OC Poll, says employers in Orange County should take note — no matter the state of the economy.
For sure, the whole concept of a hybrid workweek was prompted by the global pandemic, which caused a restructuring of where people work, dividing time between an office and home.
“If the economy gets better, one of the things that would be interesting to see is whether workers feel even more empowered to work elsewhere. If the unemployment rate does down substantially, might employees think, ‘Oh, wow, I’m in the catbird seat now. The employer needs to do exactly what I want, or I’m out,’ ” Gould observed. “If the unemployment rate goes up substantially, or economic conditions just get worse, are people willing to put up with the things they wouldn’t otherwise want, just to be able to hold on to a job?”
Gould’s newly released UCI-OC Poll, conducted between June 20 and July 1, surveyed 800 adults living in Orange County about their remote work preferences, attitudes toward artificial intelligence and overall job satisfaction. The poll had a margin of error of 4.1%.
“Our findings indicate that Orange County’s workforce is adapting to the new normal, with a strong preference for flexibility in work arrangements,” said Gould of the county’s workers who live in the county.
There are nearly 1.7 million workers in Orange County, but labor market data doesn’t distinguish between those who work in the county and those who commute from the outside. The poll interviewed workers who live in Orange County and made assumptions weighted to Census Bureau targets for age, race and ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, region that they live in, and calibrated to results of the 2024 presidential election, according to the poll.
“While remote work isn’t feasible for all jobs, it’s clear that employees value the option when available,” Gould said.
He said 9% of employees would immediately seek a new job over requests for in-person work, although 41% would leave Orange County for remote jobs if the pay was right. If their employer asked them to work in the office more often, more than half (54%) of employees would be unhappy, according to the UCI-OC Poll.
However, the prospect of remote work is enticing to many workers, said Gould in an interview Thursday.
Also see: OC voter poll highlights economy as key issue in 2024 election
In last year’s poll, half of Orange County’s residents said they considered relocation because of the high cost of living and expensive housing.
“I think that is a reflection of the fact that people like their jobs here, but they find living here so freaking expensive,” Gould said. “When people leave Orange County, two-thirds of them go elsewhere in the state — not just Texas and Arizona. In fact, most of them either go to eastern Los Angeles County, Riverside County or San Diego County in search of a lower cost of living.”
In June, the median sale prices of an existing single-family home in Orange County was $1.47 million, according to the California Association of Realtors. Earlier this year, the Orange County United Way said that a third of households fell below a “Real Cost of Measure” index, which considered a tally of basic needs that goes beyond the federal poverty line to reflect the actual cost of living. These factors included the cost of food, housing, transportation, childcare, out-of-pocket health expenses and taxes.
Changing nature of work
With hybrid work, employees divide their time between working remotely and at a traditional office. It’s a trend that caught on during the pandemic when workplaces shutdown around the world nearly five years ago. In May 2023, the World Health Organization declared an end to the public health emergency.
During the past two years, many employers pivoted to remote or hybrid work schedules, even as federal mandates and corporate-led initiatives to return to the office five days a week accelerated since January.
Even office leasing has pulled back as vacancy rates continue to rise in Orange County. A mid-year 2025 report by J.C. Casillas at NAI Capital Commercial indicated commercial office demand weakened in the county as employers adjusted space needs in response to higher costs and shifting labor market conditions.
“The world looks different today than it did only recently, and the rate of change seems to be increased,” wrote Gould in the 17-page report on the poll’s results, called, “The Changing Nature of Work in Orange County.”
Gould assumed his post at UCI on Jan. 1, 2022, with the goal of building socially relevant research and polling data.
AI revolution
Other key poll findings include:
—52% want a hybrid work schedule most or all of the time
—74% are satisfied with their jobs
—71% find artificial intelligence tools helpful, with 57% saying it makes them more productive
—70% in Orange County believe AI needs more regulation.
Gould said that, while most workers find AI helpful and productivity-enhancing, there’s a widespread belief that it could lead to job losses in Orange County. “The tension underscores the need for thoughtful integration of AI in the workplace and potential policy considerations,” he said.
Ironically, both the youngest (18-34) and oldest (65 and older) residents in Orange County share similar views and are most skeptical about AI. The poll found 31% of the youngest group was negative about AI, and 32% were negative in the 65 and older group.
This is in marked contrast to the 17% of residents between the ages of 35 and 49 who are negative about AI, and 19% who are negative in the 50-64 age group.
“This goes against the notion that AI is a young person’s tool and young people love it and want to use it. Young and old people here in Orange County are more suspicious or negative about AI than are middle-aged people,” Gould said.
The poll also found that many residents worry about job losses from AI and that more regulation is needed. More than half (56%) of OC residents believe that AI will lead to fewer jobs. There are significant demographic differences in these results, he said.
For instance, said Gould, Democrats, hourly workers, lower-income employees and those without a college degree are more likely to think AI will lead to fewer jobs.
“It’s probably an income issue. Republicans tend to more wealthy than Democrats. The wealthier, more educated people surmise that they don’t have as much to lose from AI because AI still isn’t really able to fully replicate critical thought, as people in lesser skilled jobs are worried that AI could backfill their jobs,” Gould said.
These concerns extend to the need for regulation, according to the poll. About 76% of residents believe that AI needs more regulation. Only 4% say it needs less regulation.