Traffic gridlock and population growth were other major issues, according to the survey by San Diego Association of Governments. But affordable housing ranked as one of the top concerns, unlike an identical survey conducted four years ago.

A private research firm conducted the poll for the San Diego Association of Governments. Nearly 27% of households in the poll cited traffic as the county's No. 1 problem. Coming in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, were population growth and lack of affordable housing.

In 1998, only 1.3% named affordable housing as a concern. This year, 17.3% ranked it as a major concern.

Asked to assign a grade to the region on its handling of issues, residents gave the region a C-minus for "housing in the region" -- the lowest grade assigned.

Substantial increases in housing prices and rents in the last year have had an influence on residents of the region, according top SANDAG officials.

The telephone poll, which questioned a random sample of 500 households, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Regional planners have been urging cities to adopt "smart" housing development close to jobs, retail and transit.Households were evenly split given the choice between continued development of single-family homes in a tract design and a mix of condos and apartments, combined with shops and office space.