Decreased crime, continuing economic success and confidence in most elected officials help Jacksonville's quality of life, but satisfaction with local education and health care is lagging, according to a survey released Monday.

Jacksonville Community Council Inc.'s 2000 quality of life study painted a picture similar to recent years: The city is good -- notably in its leadership -- but could be better.

The annual report, produced with the Chamber of Commerce and City Hall, tracked 83 indicators of life in Jacksonville, by using statistics and by polling residents.

The council assigned "red flag" warnings for 18 indicators; 10 won gold stars. Nine were dubbed on target.

"I'd say we're definitely trending upward. We still have work to do," said Carol Thompson, chairwoman-elect of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.

This year's report was based on goals set in 1991. Although the report, which has been done since 1985, chronicles the local pulse, it does not provide recommendations for specific improvements. That's left to local leaders. Mayor John Delaney's administration previously used the report for advice on boosting police staffing, for example.

According to the report, the incidence of serious violent crime was better than the goal. In the study period, there were 991 violent crimes per 100,000 of population, fewer than the goal of 1,400. Non-violent crime matched the target of 5,900 incidents per 100,000.

Elected city leaders like Delaney and members of the City Council received good or excellent ratings from 71 percent of the people surveyed. That was up from 67 percent in 1999, and above the 2000 goal of 65 percent.

Meanwhile, three out of four people expressed satisfaction with city services such as parks, streets and trash removal. It was the first year for the question.

"We are pleased as we look at the government and politics category," Thompson said as Delaney broke into a grin.

Another first-year question, however, elicited less enthusiasm: Only 42 percent of residents polled called the Duval County School Board leadership good or excellent.

While 5,119 higher-education degrees were awarded in the study period -- almost 1,000 more than the goal -- other factors received "red flags" indicating problems. The public high school graduation rate was 59 percent, a 10 percentage-point drop from the previous year and below the 90 percent goal. The number of teachers with advanced degrees also fell below expectations.

Among other findings:

The local health care system received a 62 percent approval rating, below the 84 percent goal and the 1999 rate of 66 percent.

"This is an area where we still have work to do," Thompson said.

The economy created 82,101 jobs between 1990 and 1999 -- above the 70,000-job goal. But the number of students receiving free lunches rose from 37 percent in 1998 to more than 46 percent in 1999, an indication that more families are having financial difficulties.

The perception of local racism remains entrenched among 49 percent of the respondents, but it was down 2 percentage points from last year. The 2000 target was 26 percent, however.

Local air quality, based on a standardized index, matched the goal of 325 good days.